


Love The One Your With

by IWannaDoBadThingsWithYou237



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Daddy Poe, Evil Snoke, Family Drama, Family Feels, Finn Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Grandpa Kes, M/M, Poe Dameron Hurts So Prettily, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Poe has two children, The Force Awakens AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-11-24 00:06:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20898362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWannaDoBadThingsWithYou237/pseuds/IWannaDoBadThingsWithYou237
Summary: Star Wars The Force Awakens AU:Poe has children (and finds himself in love with the ex-stormtrooper Finn).Kylo Ren goes after family.Kes Dameron has still got it (thank you very much) and Finn just wants everyone to be happy.Otherwise known as that Daddy Poe AU that nobody needed but I very much wanted to write.





	1. The Worst Of Conditions

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so here is a fanfic for this fandom, the first for a long-time love of this pairing. This is an AU fanifc and will stop just before the events of the Last Jedi. 
> 
> Spelling and Grammar might not be my strong suit so any issues and I do apologise. 
> 
> Disclaimer-Nothing is mine just this plot and Archer and Kalani Dameron who will be introduced next chapter.

When Poe woke up to find himself in some sort of bizarre chair with straps and metal digging into his head, he knew that this was the end.

Weather it was a slow death or a fast one he knew that all that was for him right now was torture, information and then death. Before Kylo Ren came in and ended it all however Poe allowed himself a second to think of his children.

_Fuck. _

_His children. _

Children had never been part of the plan, and his relationship with Rana had not been what you would have called loving. It had been sex and pain and the adrenaline that came with deflecting and fighting against your colleges. The first pregnancy had come when Kylo Ren once Ben Solo and a boy that Poe had known for most of his childhood had destroyed the Jedi School and had defected to Snoke. Rana and he had deflected the second that had happened form the Academy and had joined the fledging resistance when she had told him that she was pregnant. They had been going through one of their anger stages when neither one of them wanted anything to do with the other and then they had been in a good place when their son Archer had been born.

And then there had been the bombing runs and the evacuations and Poe understanding finally what it had cost for his parents to go and fight in the Rebellion and leave him alone with his grandfather. Archer had gone back at the tender age of one and a half to his grandfather at the exact moment that Poe had been forced to watch the woman he had both loathed and loved in equal measure get blown up in her A-Wing in a bombing run gone horribly wrong.

Then there had been Ciara who had been the nurse at the base they had been inhabiting at Scarif the old Imperial Data Vault. She had been a mechanic with a wicked sense of humour and enough to fill the void that Rana (his first love) and the slowing realisation that he was interested in both men and women. Of course the Dameron genes (or so his father had told him when he had Holo-Net him the night he learnt he was going to be a father for the second time) were still good in _that _department.

Kalani was born nine months later.

His children, his children, who were eight and five and didn’t understand that both of their mothers were dead and that their father was the best fighter pilot in the Resistance. Now they would be alone.

It was an experience that he had been aware that could happen and had tried to prepare both his children and his father. But there was no lying about the facts; he was the best piolet in the Resistance. There had before this, never been a mission that he had not completed for Leia Organa, and if he had not gone into detail with his father and his children about some of the missions that he had gone on well…that was his own business.

But it didn’t change the fact that he was probably going to die and leaving his father with two small children under the age of ten standard years was not something that he had wanted. His son was only eight years old…his daughter only five…they didn’t deserve this. His Papa…his Papa, did not deserve the call that would be sent to him, he did not deserve the images, playing out behind Poe’s eyelids of his father his own face barely keeping his emotions intact sitting there and explain to his children that their father was dead having died as a hero to the cause that he had admittedly but before them for most of their lives.

He closed his eyes feeling more blood drip down from the cut on his forehead and he gritted his teeth a little more at the pain. What was going to happen was going to happen, there was no hope in waiting around for a rescue Poe had known that, this was not a mission that had been given an extraction plan.

He was going to die. Poe Dameron was going to die.

And with that he shut his eyes and gave into the blinding headache he was in the middle off…the blinding despair mingling with the ache in his shoulders and in his head and fell into something that could only be descried as a light sleep at best, and with the images of his children being nothing but his children playing out in front of him.

Poe was awoken with the swish of the cloak invading his conscious. He tried as best he could to rid his mind of Archer, Kalani and Kes and the fact that his Dad would either be putting his children to bed soon or waking them up depending on the cold and unfriendly time zone of an ex Imperial Star Destroyer. He could see without opening his eyes, Kylo Ren standing there breathing through the mask as if acting like Darth Vader would make him Darth Vader instead of the boy that Poe knew who used to come and climb the Force Tree with him on Yavin Four during the endlessly hot summers.

He opened his eyes. It didn’t matter at this point, either way he was dead, he was not coming back from this confrontation or any other confrontations. The best thing he could do for the Rebellion, for Leia and for his children was to guard the information to his chest for as long as possible. He would have to make sure that they never found BB8 or the little house just over the hill with the tree in the garden that housed the two most precious things in his life.

Kylo Ren watched him for a long time. Poe was so tired and his head was throbbing with such a headache that he was stupidly slow in putting the pieces together. Kylo Ren might be watching him but he was also looking for the information that could be used against the Resistance.

The Resistance would not be intimidated by Kylo Ren.

The pain in his head when he had woken up was now nothing compared to the agony that was Kylo Ren splitting his skull open…ripping through his memories and forcing Poe to watch as he brought each one to the surface as if it was an interesting HoloNet. Poe thrashed around in the chair and screamed until he was sure his voice had gone and there was nothing left in him. He had buried BB8 so deep down in his brain…tried to resist against any mind tricks, tried to fight back with memories of Ben Solo as a boy and none of that seemed to stop Ren ripping the memory out of his skull and leaving him a panting and a bleeding broken mess. He would have fallen to the floor if he hadn’t been trapped in that damn chair.

There was one memory that Kylo Ren kept coming back to and that was of his children at bedtime. Archer in his bed with the lights on and Kalani curled up next to him waiting patiently for her Poe to scold her back to her own bed. Never having had siblings himself Poe could only dream about what the bond was like between his two children who only had himself and his father in this whole world and who had never had to know any difference.

The fact that Ren was looking at his children frightened Poe to the core, more than anything that had happened so far, impending death, betraying the Resistance by having the map being snatched right out of his mind? Nothing compared to the paralysing fear that the man with an army at the back of him now knew that he had two children at Yavin 4.

“You have children” the voice behind the mask said devoid of any emotion. It was as if his worst fears were being confirmed and even though he knew it would do no good whatsoever Poe launched himself forwards his teeth bared and prepared for a completely hopeless attack.

“You leave my children alone. I mean it, you sick bastard, you leave them alone!”

The mask stared at him again for a long time or so what it felt like and then he turned around and walked off leaving Poe with a splitting headache and a fear that was so paralysing it hurt more than anything that he had been forced to endure since he had been captured.

He was going to die. The map to Luke Skywalker would be found. The Resistance had no idea what had happened to him or to the map and worst of all…Kylo Ren knew about his children.

And there was nothing Poe could do to warn his father.

When the Stormtrooper came to take him to Snoke, Poe knew that this was it. This was the end. He was going to die.

Well…he had no doubt it was going to be a slow death in which Snoke would extract everything he could get out of him about the Resistance before discarding him as bad rubbish down a trash chute and out to space into the dust but there was no way that Poe was going to beg or give up easily. He was a fighter in this Resistance and he had known what he was sighing up for. He had known that it would probably lead to this, a painful death on his knees in front of his enemies. But he was not going to beg for anything and he was going to keep the secrets that Leia had entrusted to him until he had no choice.

He was the son of Shara Bey and Kes Dameron. He was not going to beg for mercy when he knew it was never going to be given.

The Stormtrooper suddenly pushed him into a side corridor and before Poe could blink he took of his helmet.

Poe’s first impression was not that of a Resistance fighter pilot, it was certainly not that of a man who was in his mid-thirties with two small children who could possibly be in danger because Poe’s first thought when he saw the dark skin and the dark eyes and the glorious arms underneath that uniform was along the lines of _Fuck he’s hot since when were Stormtroopers hot? _

It took him a second to catch up with what the man was saying.

“I can fly _anything_” he stressed. And to be honest if the situation hadn’t been so dire then he would have been quite excited to fly a Tie-Fighter. His mother had always said that those things could move like the wind when she fought over the skies of Endor. But there was a more pressing question to answer. If this man wasn’t the Resistance’s inside man then why was he helping him. Poe asked the suspicion hoping that he sounded grateful rather than suspicious and was rewarded with a look that was so innocent that it quickly dismissed any questions about this man’s sincerity.

“You need a pilot”

“I need a pilot”

Well…If it meant escaping and getting back to his children and the Resistance then Poe would trust Hux himself.

Tie-Fighters were a dream. Poe had been brought up on an X-Wing, he had flown X-Wings all his life. His mother had flown an X-Wing as well as an A-Wing. Luke Skywalker had flown an X-Wing when he had destroyed the first Death Star. Rouge Squadron led by Wedge Antilles had flown an X-Wing over the skies of Endor alongside his mother. But when he was taking out those cannons he had to admit that he could see the appeal to flying one of these things. No wonder both the Empire and the First Order had so many recruits. The pilot in him and the little kid in him was actually impressed. The father in him however was on a very thin edge.

“Hey what’s your name?” he asked eventually.

“FN-2187”

“FN-What?”

“That’s the only name they gave me”

What the ever-loving-fuck? They had someone in their ranks as wonderful as this man and they couldn’t even give him a fucking name? Poe who had fought for both of his children’s names, who had took great pleasure in speaking to them before they were even out of the womb with their names couldn’t understand it.

“Well I aint using it…FN…I’m gonna call you Finn”

“Finn…I like that”

“Good to meet you Finn…”

“Good to meet you Poe”

Two more cannon shot later and Poe was explaining why they had to go back to Jakku for BB8.

“I need to go back, I have to get my droid and send word to my father that Kylo Ren might go after my children.”

“No droid is that important”

“This one is Pal, this one is, this one is carrying a map that leads straight to Luke Skywalker”

“Oh come on”

And that was the moment that they crashed.

When Poe woke up he could taste sand and he could feel his head that felt like it was about to explode. He groaned and flipped over seeing the blue sky of Jakku and feeling the unbearable heat. He stared at the Sinking Sand Dunes for a second. Finn the man that had saved him, the man that could have been so much more was gone.

Poe felt like screaming but then a sharp memory came back to him.

_Kylo Ren knew about his children_.

Archer.

Kalani.

Kes Dameron.

He pushed himself to his feet and forced himself to walk away from the wreckage and from the man who had saved him. He had to get to his children.

Poe thought of his two children. Of his father. Of the cause of which he had scarified most of his life and two good relationships with two good women. The Resistance. He thought of it as he stared at the blue sky and felt the blood sticking at his temple.

He started walking.


	2. Familia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archer and Kalani Dameron become children of the war.
> 
> Kes is thrust back into a conflict that is really a younger man’s game. 
> 
> Poe returns to the Rebellion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. So here is the second chapter of this story. I hope you all enjoy this story and I want to thank you for the kudos you have given me. I have tried really hard with this story to give a voice to two characters who are wonderfully played not to mention to a fandom I have been invested in since I was eight. I hope this comes across. 
> 
> Disclaimer-Nothing is mine. 
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Spelling and grammar are not my greatest strength so if anything is wrong then I do apologise. 
> 
> And I hope to update sooner rather than later.

Archer Dameron at the age of eight was board. Board with everything really. He woke up, he went to school, he came home and did some work at home and then he played for a bit before his Grandpa would insist that he take a bath and clean his teeth and then it was into his bed listening to the sounds coming out of the small window in the wall and wondering what was happening on the other side of the galaxy where his Papa was fighting the First Order alongside the Princess turned General Leia Organa who apparently knew his grandpa from the first war against the Empire and who still holo-netted on their Life-Days. If they were lucky Papa would message them from some planet far away from Yavin 4 and they would get to see him even if it was through a shaky screen.

Archer found he liked that. It was always nice to see Papa and hear about what he was doing, it had been seven months since the last time he had been able to come and see them. It was Archer’s birthday in two weeks and he was rather hoping Papa would come and see them then though as Grandpa told him the Resistance and fighting for freedom in the galaxy didn’t stop for anyone. But still…Papa had come home for Kalani’s birthday and had even brought her a stuffed Loth-Cat that his now couldn’t go to sleep without. Archer himself was rather hoping for some more model planes to add to his collection but then again…he was three years old.

It wasn’t a secret on Yavin 4 about Archer’s Dad and the Resistance…not as much as Archer knew his Papa and Grandpa wanted it to be. But Archer was not to mention the knowledge that his Papa was the ‘_best fighter pilot in the Resistance_’ to his friend in case someone bad found out about them.

The ‘_someone_’ bad bit sometimes kept him up at night and more than once (though he liked to think that he had kicked that habit—being eight and all) scrambling into his Papa’s bed or his Grandpa’s scrambling to find someone who could keep the images out of his head. He imagined the red of the lightsabre that Kylo Ren had and had on once impersonated Darth Vader’s voice over dinner just to see Kalani squirm in her seat and then crawl into their Papa’s lap in fright.

His Grandpa had sharply told him not to do that again and then had left the table and his Papa had explained to Archer that night that his Grandpa Kes still found talking about the Empire painful sometimes and that it was best not to do Darth Vader impressions…and also not to make his sister scared. That morning his Papa had left and had not come back for five months and when he had he’d been covered in soot and the back of his X-Wing was falling to pieces on the landing ground outside their small house.

But despite this Archer loved his life. He was board of it but he loved it all the same. He loved the heat of Yavin 4 and playing fighter pilots with his friends and yet he dreamed sometimes that he could fly his own X-Wing through the skies fighting Dreadnaughts and Start Destroyers. It was all very confusing.

But on the Tuesday Archer’s life changed he had to admit that he was not expecting it. He woke up, got dressed in his trousers and grey shirt, ate at the table and walked Kalani his five year old sister to the local school. She was talking about how she was going to write to Papa tonight, Archer was thinking about weather or not he should ask for the new A-Wing toy model or the new X-Wing.

It was then that he felt it.

Halfway up the path to the school where all the other children where it was like the sun suddenly had gone in. The sky seemed to go dark and he felt Kalani next to him tug on his hand a little her hair brushed back off her face by their ever, patient grandpa even though by the end of school it would be coming out in messy strands. Archer stopped next to her. He couldn’t understand why he suddenly felt like something very bad was going to happen, but he did and he sure wasn’t going to stick around to events unfurl.

Without saying anything he dragged Kalani into the high undergrowth off the path to the school. Kalani followed him without protest and that sent shivers down Archer’s spine even before the large space shuttle dropped onto the ground spitting and spraying dust and gravel into the air. Kalani, Archer knew from bitter, bitter experience could fight like a cornered Rancor, had the situation not been bad for both of them chances are him dragging her into the dirt would have gotten him a few bruises.

“Somethings happening” his five year old sister said solemnly as they peered through the grass.

“Yes” Archer said watching as the shuttle began to open up. “Now shut up”

It was a mark of how scared his sister actually was he didn’t get a pinch to the soft skin of his arm like he usually did.

He crouched forwards a little rolling up onto his knees to see more of what was happening outside his school. What he saw made his stomach drop.

“Stormtroopers” he whispered dropping back down. His mind was whirling. Stormtroopers? On Yavin 4? That had never happened before—well not to his knowledge. His grandpa had always joked about this part of the galaxy being the safest, so safe that the Rebel Alliance had managed to hide for years here not to mention evacuate at a _‘somewhat leisurely pace after Luke and Han blew up the Death Star’ _according to Princess-General Leia.

Since when did Stormtroopers come here?

“What are they looking for?” Kalani asked her face confused. Archer stared at his little sister for a second and then as the final piece of the puzzle was added he let out a word that would have had him sent to bed without desert. Kalani’s eyes widened but she didn’t say anything, instead she watched him with her wide brown eyes as Archer began to realise what was happening.

“Us” he said quietly. He ducked his head to the ground pushing Kalani’s head down with her as she let out a small squeak of fear that he just knew was building to a scream of panic.

“Why?” Kalani mouthed at him. Archer looked around trying to think. If they stood up and ran for it they would be discovered but yet…if they made it to the shade of trees where sometimes they rested after the lunch break then they could duck into the forest and run for home. Or at the very least to a house that was friendly to the Resistance.

He jerked his head at the tree and began crawling backwards on his knees Kalani following him as they scrambled in the dirt away from the Stormtroopers. The two of them were silent in the tall grass and everytime there was a gust of wind Archer was convinced they were going to be caught. Archer couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Their school was being stormed by the First Order.

And he knew why.

He just really, really hoped that he was wrong.

Kalani made it to the trunk of the tree. She could stand and run and not been seen but Archer who was eight knew that he was. He paused wincing as a rock on the floor cut his knee. Kalani turned around her hands and face streaked with dirt, her books forgotten, her hair halfway down her face and her eyes wide and terrified. Archer stared at his sister for a second and then moved slowly towards the tree trunk.

He knew exactly to the second when he had done something wrong.

He didn’t know if he stood up or if his head was visible or if the Stormtroopers had special gadgets in their helmets but he was suddenly hyperaware that the area of lush woodland that they were in had gone quiet.

“There’s one” said a voice not so far away.

“Go” Archer said to his sister. “Go find Grandpa, he can let Papa know and the Resistance. Go Kalani go!”

Kalani opened her mouth her eyes wide and was already in the process of shaking her head when Archer shouted.

“Kalani run now!”

She shot him one anguished look and then she turned and ran through the trees away from him. Archer had one second of pure satisfaction seeing his sister get away when something hit him in the back, and he toppled to the floor. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

Kalani Dameron didn’t cry. She choked down her little sobs and kept running. She had no idea what had happened since this morning when she had been walking to school and when her brother had pulled her into the tall grass that framed the little white stoned building where her friends played with their stuffed animals and her brother ran around pretending to be in the Resistance like their Papa, but she knew it was bad.

She stumbled and tripped over a tree root feeling her head hit the edge of the root hard. She lay there on the floor for a moment breathing so hard she thought she might be sick, but she knew she had to keep going. As much as it hurt, she knew that she had to keep going. She had to get to her Grandpa and she had to make sure that the Stormtroopers didn’t get to him.

Forcing herself to her feet she looked around. She was in the woods and if she followed the way the sun was beating down then she was only five minutes away from home. She set off again feeling her body ache at the thought of more running and her breath coming out in short gasps.

Suddenly all of the games that she and her brother had played pretending to be in the Resistance or the Rebellion didn’t seem so funny anymore. The games where they had pretended to evacuate Hoth or to steel the rebel plans from Darth Vader, when they had ran around pretending to be X-Wing ships gunning down the first Death Star or when they were playing at being Jedi.

Running from the danger and leaving Archer standing there to face it wasn’t funny.

She crashed into the back garden, through the hedge, past the Force Tree and in through the back door.

Her Grandpa was working on reprograming one of the protocol droids. It was at his feet in pieces and he was staring at it with a frustrated expression. He looked up when she came in and Kalani watched as his expression went from surprised to panicked in five seconds as he picked her up and swung her effortlessly into his arms. Kalani dropped her head onto his shoulder and tried very, very hard not to burst into the tears that were so desperate to fall.

“What the ever loving…Kali…what happened…I mean…_oh force _sweetheart”

“The Stormtroopers, they have Archer. He told me to run and I did but not before they got him. He thought they were here looking for us because of Papa but…Grandpa I left him, I left him and I’m sorry but he told me to and I didn’t know what else to do. What if they come here? I’m sorry” and with that she burst into tears.

Her Grandpa said nothing for a brief moment and then he smoothed back her hair rocking her from side to side as if she was still a baby and not a five year old girl who was too heavy to be hooked onto his hip and who was sobbing uncontrollably.

“Shh. Shh. Kalani hush now, you didn’t do anything wrong, you did brilliantly I promise you. Hush sweetheart. You say that the Stormtroopers arrived? The First Order?”

Kalani nodded. “They were looking for us, Archer told me to run and I did but I didn’t see him behind me. I think he stayed. He got spotted I think but…Grandpa what if they come here?” 

Her Grandpa deposited her on the ground so fast that Kalani’s head spun a little. “Kalani go into your room and your brother’s and pack a bag, some clothes, some toys, just go.”

Kalani opened her mouth and then shut it again. There was very little point in arguing. Grandpa would have a plan. Papa would have a plan. She would just have to trust in that.

And she supposed the Force as well.

The second his dirt encrusted, out of breath, scraped palmed five year old granddaughter ran to her room, Kes Dameron let out a stream of swear words the likes of which he had not used since Poe had come home and told him that he was defecting from the Academy to the Resistance.

He was really getting to old for this bantha-shit.

They had gone for his grandchildren he knew because they had found out about Poe somehow. What that entailed for his boy, for Shara’s boy he had no idea and he couldn’t allow himself to think about it least he vomit. What it meant for Poe’s boy, for his grandson…

He couldn’t even think of the words.

Archer was eight for Force sakes. He was an eight year old boy and they had come for him and Kes hadn’t been able to protect him. He had failed at the one thing Poe had asked him to do…protect his children.

That thought made his head spin.

How in the galaxy was he supposed to tell Poe that his son had gotten captured by the First Order on Kes’ watch? How was he going to look his boy in the eye and tell him that?

This was a younger man’s game and had he not had the children Kes could admit that he would have thought about going back. Leia had pulled many of them out of retirement the older generation mixing in with the new. Sometimes when he looked at his son Kes couldn’t believe that once that had been him and Shara, young, in love and yet so sure that what they were doing was the right thing for their family and for the galaxy. Prepared to leave Poe as an orphan and trusting that they were so unordinary in the Rebellion (compared to the likes of Luke Skywalker) that the Empire would never go looking for something to use against them.

He crossed the room leaving the droid half on the floor at his feet and grabbed his bag. He would be lying if he’d not had a bag ready ever since this whole map thing to Luke Skywalker mission Leia had entrusted his son with had come about. He had not heard anything from Poe or from the woman herself so he had no idea if they had gotten the piece of information that they so desperately needed or if the First Order had caught up with his son…but no. He was not going to think about Poe at the mercy of the First Order. He could not think of that now.

The best thing to do was to get Kalani into the protection of the Resistance. To get to Poe from the base and then they would formulate a plan. Kes had known Leia now for most of his adult life, he knew that she went to the ends of the galaxy for most of her soldiers she would do it for a child of that he had no doubt and she had connections everywhere that she could tap into for information.

He had to get Kalani off planet and to D’Qar. And to do that he needed to fly.

Shara had once taught him how to work and X-Wing. She had thought it was a joke. Kes had gone up in it once and had hated the entire experience. He was good with flying when someone else was in the cockpit but actually flying, with a passenger, across the galaxy. His hands shook even more.

“Grandpa” said a voice to his left. “I’m ready now”

Kalani had two bags with her. Kes took in his five year old granddaughter and took in the paleness of her face, the way her whole body was shivering with the adrenaline and the exhaustion and the mud all on her legs and hands and face. He took in the blood from the cut on her knee and he gently took one of the leather jackets that Poe had kept in the closet from the last time that he had been there and helped her put it on. It came down to her knees and he had to roll the sleeves back eight times before her hands came out the ends, but he knew from the way that she seemed to relax a little that he had done the right thing.

He took the bags of her and tried to smile.

“Come on Kalani. We’re going to the Resistance”

“To see Papa?” Kalani asked her head tilted to the side.

“Yes. Come on quickly now”

They made the jump to hyperspace at the exact time the First Order arrived at his house. Kes didn’t know that until much later. Had he known that he probably would have crashed the X-Wing somewhere in the dark obliterations of space.

Poe walked for what seemed like miles. Finally he found something that seemed to resemble civilisation and found one of the contacts that Leia had recommended he speak to when he had first arrived and that contact had put him in touch with someone who had a ship.

It wasn’t a brilliant ship but Poe could fly anything.

And that just made him think of Finn.

He put the ship into the air and tried to tune into the frequencies waiting until he heard the right one. He punched the co-ordinates and made the jump to lightspeed.

He had no idea of course that an hour so before he did that, his eight year old son had been stunned by a Stormtrooper and that both of his children had just seen the cost and the price of the war that he had chosen to be a part of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And let me know what you think. Please let me know what you think. Feedback is adored.


	3. Something Bad Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kes and Kalani make it to the Resistance. 
> 
> Poe gets to the Resistance. 
> 
> Leia does damage control. 
> 
> Poe gets the worse news of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so here is another chapter. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and I promise the next one will give more of an insight into Archer as well as move up events that happened in the movie. 
> 
> As always spelling and grammar are not my strongest suit so any inaccuracies I do apologise. 
> 
> And I hope to update sooner rather than later. 
> 
> Anything to do with Kes's background and the Rebellion is my own writing. It might not be cannon-correct, if it is not I do apologise but a lot of it is my creative thinking. 
> 
> Disclaimer-Nothing is mine.

Kalani had fallen asleep on his lap. Kes who was not used to flying an X-Wing on a good day was thankful for that. He had no idea what he was going to tell Poe, if Poe was still at D-Qar (and Kes hoped with all that was left of him that Poe was still at D-Qar) then they would get to him and he would know that they were coming. He steered a little to the left and shifted his granddaughter on his lap his bones aching. He remembered Wedge and Wedge telling him that despite his love for Luke this was a young man’s game and Kes was best to keep out of it.

Wedge didn’t have children Kes knew, he knew that it didn’t matter but Kes who had a young man who had survived being the child of two high ranking parents in the first Rebellion who had come home one day and told Kes that he was joining Leia’s Resistance. He had come home twice after that with two children and Kes had never told anyone who he had served with how close he had come to throttling his son after that.

There was a pause as Kalani shifted in front of him and the coms buzzed a bright yellow in front of him. He shifted wincing as he caught sight of his granddaughters face. A quick trip to the med-kit had seen most of the blood from the cuts and scrapes off but there was going to be one hell of a bruise. Force only knew what Poe was gonna think when he saw his daughter. And then Kes was somehow going to have to find and then screw up his courage and tell his son that Archer was in the hands of the First Order and how he was going to do that Kes really didn’t know.

Oh he was under no illusions what had happened. Poe had done something for Leia and his grandchildren were paying the price. Kes liked Leia he did truly, he’d had far less to do with her than Han or Luke but he had liked Leia when she had been there for Shara the two of them getting shit faced after Bespin and then after another quick and messy evacuation where Shara had been one of two members of her squad to come back from. Leia had also been a godsend when the remaining pregnancy hormones had kicked in and he had been told by a somewhat hysterical sobbing and furious woman that he was not helping.

Han would never know how much Kes had apricated the rum in that moment.

But that didn’t change the fact that Poe had had two children and had assumed that he could carry on fighting. Yes he and Shara had done the same thing but they had kept their distance to Poe, for the first year they had him with them. They kept contact to a minimal and force knew Shara didn’t go around calling himself the best pilot in the Resistance even though she was (though he knew a few members of Rouge Squadron who would disagree) and Poe…well…Poe was like every other good looking young pilot. Arrogant.

Sometimes he thought that his son had not thought having children through. This was one of these times. Kes could only hope that his kid was back with the Resistance because if he wasn’t then that was a whole other set of problems to worry about.

He flicked the light on.

“X-Wing approaching on the far side of the planet what is your destination?”

For a second Kes was sucked back into a time where they had been hidden underground at Hoth and he had worked as both a pathfinder and intelligence and he and Shara had huddled for warmth and they had thought because they had Luke Skywalker on their side they might actually have a shot of winning this thing.

Force he was getting too old for this.

“Defection. I think. I am a civilian intending to defect with a small child. I am also the father of one of your pilots. Get the Princess”

There was a pause. Kes was willing to bet a hell of a lot more credits than he had that there was a kid on the end of the line who was trying to bravado him out was a teenager or not long out of a school either way.

“Son listen” he said leaning forwards as Kalani’s eyes fluttered open. “You can search me, you can threaten me but I need to speak to Princess Leia immediately. Get off your chair and go and find her, speak to her in private and tell her Kes Dameron is here with his granddaughter. Make sure you tell her that I’m with my granddaughter, use that exact word and she’ll do the rest. I can wait but you need to go now.”

There was a pause and then the sound of the connection being cut. Kes smiled. “Grandpa” Kalani said finally. “Are we where Papa is?”

“Yeah kid”

“Yeah we are”

Kalani struggled to sit up for a second. She turned and Kes had to hide his wince as her movements brought her knee straight down into his bowls. Had he mentioned he was not exactly a young man anymore? Flying wasn’t even his strength.

Before however he could speak the comm fizzled to life next to him and he reached for it Kalani falling off his lap and into the tiny space between the cockpit window and the controls.

“Mr Dameron”

Kes bit back his immediate response which was to snap back his rank and demand the kid who probably wasn’t even alive when he had fought the Empire to call him as such. He forced himself to shake off the old response and the excitement that was thrumming through him even though there was dread and worry and pain as well. Force, there was a part of him that had missed this.

“Yes”

“Princess Leia…I mean General Organa has given you permission to land. She will meet you on the Landing Deck and she says she cannot promise anything so far the coast is clear”

Kes smiled grimly. Trust Leia, the consummate spy, the daughter of the most consummate diplomat that had ever lived under the Old Republic, to understand what he was trying to say and the consequences that it might have. “Rodger that” he says and then a second later he managed to hit the right button that got the plane into landing. Force this whole flying thing was for younger people or droids. Kalani climbed back onto his knee just as the feeling was coming back. She turned to look at him her eyes wide and trusting. Poe had once looked like that too Kes knew before the death of his mother had taken a huge chunk of his innocence. This war had taken chunks out of it bit by bit since.

There was a pause where he sat there as the droids and ground staff worked to get the plane into an empty bay. “Ok Kalani” he said finally stretching up as the cockpit opened. “Were going to go down a ladder. I have to meet some people before we get to Papa. While I do this I want you to stay by me and keep quiet. I mean it. No getting lost or distracted. This is an active military base”

Kalani nodded her eyes wide though Kes suspected he had already lost her to the sights outside of the cockpit. He spoke bravely to her but this girl was only five and had spent those five years on a planet where the most exciting thing that had ever happened was rain. She had known no life outside of their house, school and the market. Of course a place teaming with new people, planes, and droids was going to be exciting.

She climbed down the steps diligently waiting patiently as Kes heaved himself out of the plane and down to the floor. His knee and his back groaned in protest. Without thinking he looked around and remembered the evacuation from Hoth waiting with others for the pilots to land and Shara skimming down the sides of the ladder and into his arms with a grin that spoke of all of her emotions at that exact moment.

Leia was waiting by the wall. Kes saw her and Kalani followed him trotting alongside him and doing her best to catch up. Kes knew that his granddaughter was getting tired. This morning she’d been on her way to school and since then she’d been attacked, lost her brother, left her home and had done two jumps through lightspeed sat on his lap in a tiny, tiny cockpit of a plane that had not flown in years. What she needed know was something to eat, a hot bath and a bed preferably with Poe tucking her in.

“Hello Kes” Leia said softly. She bent down to speak to Kalani and Kes noticed that while her hair might be grey and her face lined, while her hair had changed and she was most certainly not walking the hallways in a white jumpsuit, she had that quality that she had had before. He supposed it came with being royalty. It wasn’t the Force, Luke had never been able to command people in the same sense that his sister could. If you’d have left Luke with his pilots he would have been happy. Luke certainly never walked into a room and knew instantly that everyone was watching.

“Princess” he said stiffly. “Changed your hair I see?”

Leia had the grace to giggle and Kes smiled at her as if the years between them were gone. He had always liked Leia, out of the Alliance Command in those few months when you arrived where everything was crazy she had been the one who had taken care of the new recruits and had made them feel like the cause that they had abandoned everything for was worth it.

“Same shirt” she said grinning at him before her smiled dropped. “I take it your being here with only one of your grandchildren isn’t a good sign”

“No” Kes said feeling the pain of losing Archer lash around his heart again.

“You got some place we can talk…preferably where my granddaughter can sleep?”

Leia watched him for a long moment as if she was trying to see beyond him into what had happened just this morning with Poe’s son and her own. Kes didn’t know much about the Force but he knew enough to know that Leia was employing it now, the power that she had claimed she was free of. The power she claimed was always Luke’s.

“Of course, follow me.”

She led them both down two corridors and then into the rooms that had to be her own. Kes again resisted the urge to smile. Leia as a princess and as a General could have commanded her own set of rooms and nobody would have thought twice about it. But he knew that like Hoth she had chosen smaller rooms so that people could stay together. Families and friends who needed the bigger rooms. He and Shara had managed to nab a bunk together in Hoth and that had been a good time in their marriage simply because they had been together.

Kes got Kalani a glass of water which she drank frantically, Leia called for some food and after she had ate and drank her fill and her eyes were barely open he tucked her in bed with her stuffed Loth-Cat and then turned to Leia once he was sure that she was asleep.

“What happened?” Leia asked her tone all brisk so much so Kes half expected Han Solo to walk in telling them of an Imperial Droid that had just landed and that evacuation was on the horizon.

Kes told her. Leia’s face was impassive for a second and then she shuddered.

“Kes…I’m so sorry…I…I never thought that…” she shook her head and Kes nodded feeling tired. Leia was a mother too and her son had just kidnapped a child.

“Get’s harder whenever we do this doesn’t it?” he said humourless. Leia didn’t smile back.

“Where’s Poe Leia?”

“He’s on his way back. He got contact through a source in Jakku. He lost the map and the droid but he says that he’s alive which is something considering…”

“What the hell did you have him do?”

“Get the map. There’s a map Kes that leads to Luke. But I think he got captured. He’s alive and he’s safe but…Ben must have found out about his children. He must think that Poe’s got the map. He wont hurt him…Ben wouldn’t do that. But…oh Kes”

“I know, I know” Kes said heavily. There were several things he could say to Leia’s optimism regarding her son but it wouldn’t be fair. After all he too had a headstrong son fighting to be his own man against incredible pressure, who had made bad choices. Of course his son had not made a bid to take over the galaxy but…then again. Time and a place.

Leia sat there her head bowed for a second.

“You heard from Han?”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Leia glared at him in a way that made her look like the young woman she had been. Kes grinned before he could stop himself.

“What do you want me to do Kes?”

Kes sobered at once.

“I’ll tell him Leia. Of course you might have to burn all your planes to the ground when he gets wind of it but…I don’t know what you want to do? Do you want to launch a rescue? Can you find out where Archer is?”

“Oh I can do that” Leia said standing up. “I can do all of that. The hard part’s going to be telling Poe. He’s on a transport now that I sent and he should be back in half an hour or so depending on how much traffic is in the skies.”

Kes nodded. “If you bring him to me I’ll tell him. If Kalani wakes up and she’s in a strange place and I’m not there she’ll either panic or wander and the last thing you want is her climbing in and out of all the small places that you have here. You’d be launching a search party for days”

Leia smiled her slow soft smile and then after touching him on the shoulder said that she was going to go and see where Poe was at. Kes barely heard her. The strain of the last few hours were beginning to catch up with him and he wanted nothing more to do than to curl up next to Kalani and go to sleep again. The worry he felt for Archer he had kept at bay when he was escaping Yavin but it was now hitting him in full force. He really hoped that Leia had a plan because if not then…then Poe was going to do something universally stupid in order to get his son back.

And losing Poe was not an option Kes was willing to put on the table.

Force he hoped that his son was back soon. Whatever had happened with him and Kylo Ren, Kes wanted to know about it. Because he figured that Poe must have done something to incur the wrath of the First Order and whatever it was Kes was willing to bet that it was not all about the map and the droid currently lost on that junk land of a planet Jakku. Kes remembered when they had looked at Jakku as a possible rebellion base thinking that the Empire wouldn’t find them and he remembered Luke’s protest about another hot, dusty sand planet. Eventually the plan had been abandoned. If the droid was still there Kes didn’t hold out much hope that he would last long. Droids were a hot commodity on planets like Jakku.

Poe was in desperate need of a hot shower in the fresher, something decent to eat and a stiff drink before a good nights sleep. He forced himself to disembark feeling the stiffness in his back and his knees. Before he did anything though he needed to com his Dad and check on the kids. He didn’t see how Kylo Ren could do anything but he would relax when he got the chance to see him and when his Dad knew that a threat had been made.

He tried not to think of Finn or BB8. He’d had one mission and he fucked it up.

Leia was waiting for him as he disembarked. Poe resisted the urge to kick something. Fan-fucking-tastic. The General was there to hear his failure first-hand.

“General. I apologise. The map…I…”

“Don’t apologise for that” Leia said waving aside the hope for the Resistance with one hand. Poe stopped, there was something happening here that he didn’t like. There was another pause and he realised that Leia seemed to be lost for words. Something twisted in the pit of his stomach. There was something very wrong here.

“Your father is here. His X-Wing arrived this morning. Your daughter is with him”

Poe blinked but Leia was already walking away and he had to hurry to follow her.

“My father flew an X-Wing?” he said surprised.

Leia chuckled. “Yeah and botched the landing up. Your mother would have roasted him for that.”

Poe smiled and then the rest of Leia’s words caught up with him.

“Wait he brought the kids here? Why…General I told him not to bring my kids here…he knows it’s too dangerous. Besides Archer and Kalani are not going to fit into an X-Wing with Dad…”

Leia carried on walking and then she reached the door to her own quarters. She opened the door and Poe walked in. He was aware that he was dirty and that he was a mess of dried blood, that he was covered in sand and that he must have looked like hell and the look on his Dad’s face told him that. He saw the mess of brown hair in Leia’s bed and he knew that it was Kalani, her cheek on the pillow and her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. She had grown a little since the last time that he had seen her.

Poe looked around expecting to see Archer somewhere but he couldn’t see him. He was dimly aware of Leia closing the door behind him and then he noticed the cut on Kalani’s head.

“What happened?” he hissed at his dad crossing the room so that he could get a look at the cut on Kalani’s head. His Dad raised an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same question” he said. “What did you crash land again?”

“Actually yeah on Jakku, apparently though I crash land better than you fly. What’s going on? What happened? Where’s Archer”

His Dad took a long moment as if he was composing himself to speak and a fear of which he had never felt before suddenly gripped Poe so much that he could barely speak. He was aware that he was crouching on the ground and now he was sitting on the ground because his legs had gone out from under him. The last time that his father had looked at him like that he was breaking the news that his mother was getting sicker and was not going to get better.

“Dad” he said and he felt something curdle in his stomach. “Dad. Where is Archer? Where is my son?”

“Poe” his Dad said finally after a very long pause. “Something bad happened”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here you are. I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Feedback is adored.


	4. It's All My Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe must contemplate the events that have happened both with Finn and as a father. 
> 
> Kalani gets a look at the Resistance and in captivity Archer is joined by someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so here is another chapter. I apologise for the wait but I hope this makes up for it. 
> 
> Disclaimer-Nothing is mine just this chapter. 
> 
> Please Read and Review. 
> 
> I hope to update sooner rather than later.

He’d thrown up.

In hindsight Poe was not proud of that but the second that his father had finished his story Poe had bolted to Leia’s fresher and thrown up in the General’s sink.

Yeah he was not proud of that.

His father handed him a glass of water as if this happened everyday and helped him to a seat near Kalani who had slept through all of this not that Poe expected anything different. His girl could sleep through an invasion and an evacuation all at once. It had always been Archer who would wake at the slightest noise.

“Sorry” he said finally.

“Ah” his Dad said with a flicker of a smile from where he had been rinsing the vomit. “Leia’s used to it. Vomit’s probably not even on the scale of disgusting things she’s seen. Nor is it on mine. Trust me. Some of the recruits in the last war used to vomit all the time. The amount of pilots that used to do it once they realised they had survived…well your mother used to tell me some right horror stories”

Poe nodded again hardly hearing him he leaned back on the chair and felt exhaustion pulling at him the likes that he had never felt before. Kylo Ren had his son. Finn was dead. BB8 was lost somewhere on the planet Jakku with the map that would lead them to the last hope that they had. He had utterly failed in every aspect of his life and it had all been his fault.

“I’m sorry Poe” his father said finally. “I didn’t see it coming”

“It’s not your fault Dad.” He said heavily. “The whole mess is mine”

“How? Poe what happened? Leia is saying only that she sent you after a map that led to Luke and that you got captured”

“That part’s true. The First Order arrived and blew out my ship so I had to fight on foot. Not that I did much fighting. Kylo Fucking Ren got their first and captured me. Then he let his Stormtroopers loose on the village. Killed every single one of them…” he shook his head trying hard not to remember the screams. “All because of me”

“No” his Dad said cutting across his story. “Not because of you Poe. Even if you had gotten away he’d probably have murdered those villagers in rage for helping you. Even if nobody had known you were there. It’s the way of the galaxy right now.”

Poe nodded hearing his father’s words and believing none of them.

“Then he…he…he had me on this chair and I told him that I wouldn’t tell him anything and he reached into my head and then…”

He shuddered feeling the urge to be sick again. He could remember the feeling of Kylo Ren burrowing down in his head trying to find intel. He could remember his brain screaming as it was almost cut in two and then he remembered the image not only of BB8 and the map but the image that he had thought about afterwards of his children, of never seeing them again. Of making them orphans of war in every sense of the world.

“I thought about them” he confessed. “I thought about them and that’s how he knew. He was in my head and I stupidly thought of my children. And that’s why he went after them”

His father stared at him for a long time and then shook his head finally.

“Oh Poe”

Poe nodded running hand through his hair and pulling at the strands. His Dad pulled his hands out and took them in his own callused and lined from a war, from farm work, from raising three children. Poe, Archer, Kalani. Poe looked up and wondered not for the first time if it had been unfair on his father dumping two children on him and going off to fight a war where there was very good chance that he would not come back.

“Poe” he said finally forcing Poe to look him in the eye. “This is not your fault. Finding out about the children was not your fault. You thought you were going to die. You thought about your children. Chances are with him rooting around in your brain it was only a matter of time. Force knows the amount of close calls I had all I ever thought about was you and your mother.”

“I should have made contact with you the second I was clear” Poe said shaking his head and refusing to believe the common sense that his father was speaking. “I should have told you to get the kids out. I knew…I was gonna do it anyway I just…there was so much going on and my head was still a mess. I should have told Leia to contact you I just…I just kept walking. Even when I got here I thought I could take a quick shower” he shook his head hating himself even more.

His Dad didn’t say anything for another long pause.

“You’re a good father Poe. You love your children. And your fighting for a better world for them. They know that. Believe me. Stop blaming yourself because if you blame yourself and get into a cockpit your going to get yourself killed and that will be the worse thing that you will have ever done to your children”

Poe pressed the heel of his hand against his eyes and breathed in deeply embracing the pain. His Dad was right, deep down he knew that. But the thought of Archer alone in some prison being subjected to the same torture that he was…

“He’ll be so scared Dad”

“Probably, but he’s a fighter like you. He knows no information, he’s not a political figure. They took him to get to you. They will probably use him as a trade off for that map. Once Leia finds his location from one of her many spies she’ll deploy the fleet and then you can get him back. Poe trust me on this, he’s a tough little boy. Whatever happens he’ll survive it”

“Do you think he’s already…”

And Poe couldn’t finish that sentence without a violent shudder ripping through him. His Dad was already shaking his head.

“No I absolutely do not think that they’ve killed him” he said and his voice was so firm and so comforting that Poe chose to believe him and to cling to that hope with everything he had in him. He nodded running another hand over his face.

“Poe go take a shower. We’ve got time, Kalani will sleep like the dead for a bit she’s been through a lot and she never was the earliest riser. Go and freshen up you smell like Jakku and you’ll scare the living daylights out of her looking like you do”

Poe nodded doing just that and didn’t realise until he was getting changed into some clean clothes that his hands had stopped trembling. His Dad was right, Archer needed him calm and collected, the fighter pilot that he was, his son didn’t need him to tap into the all encompassing terror that he felt and fall apart on the floor. There was time to do that later when he had his son back. Right now his other child needed him.

He ran a hand through his hair again and tried not to think of his son, of the pain that he had been put through, of the way Kalani had been bleeding or the way his Dad had looked when he had broken the news to him. He carefully didn’t think of the Stormtrooper, Finn who had risked his life to save him or of the way Finn had made him feel, younger than he was, riskier than he was and safer than he probably should have felt.

He knew that never ended well.

Resolutely he walked out of his room and to his other child who needed to know that everything was going to be ok and that her Dad was here and that he was never going to let her out of his sight again.

After life on Yavin 4, the Resistance was not what Kalani expected. She was not sure what she was expecting if she was honest with herself she was five after all and she was not as completely in love with the idea of the thing that took her Papa away as much as Archer was but even so she would not have expected this.

The place was an explosion of colour and movement. People moved from one place to another, they were dressed in orange and green and brown and all of them had some sort of rank on their uniform making Kalani feel small in her tattered black trousers and short sleeved grey shirt she had worn to school already covered in mud and scrapes. Grandpa had been locked in a room with Princess-General Leia who had insisted they have a proper catch up and therefore Papa had decided to take her on a tour to the Resistance.

Her Papa had pulled her hair out of the messy plat it was in and had took them to a woman called Jess who had introduced herself as the ‘Second Best Pilot in the Resistance’ who had then braided her hair in some plat that pulled everything even the last strand off her hair and had made it so that it was complicated and regal just like the Princess-General who was well known for her complicated and regal hairstyles even on a planet like Yavin 4.

When she had told Jess that she had snorted her laugher and had patted Kalani on the shoulder and told her that it wasn’t just the hairstyle that made Leia regal but she would pass it on nonetheless.

She had then been taken to see Papa’s X-Wing which had looked just like the plane they had left Yavin 4 with. When Kalani had told Papa that he had looked rather insulted and had pointed out the differences loudly. Kalani thought that one plane was the same as another but when she said that she was aware that half of her father’s squad were looking at her like she had swung a wrench at the perfectly polished paint and she had found herself hiding behind her Papa’s leg.

“Ah” her Papa said swinging her up so that she was in his arms despite the fact that Kalani was supposed to be too big for this behaviour. “Your not a pilot kiddo, that’s fine I suppose. Bet you’ll be a rebel intelligence officer and command loads of people”

That to Kalani sounded rather good.

“Can I sleep in if I’m in rebel intelligence?”

Her Papa laughed and Kalani wrapped her hands tighter around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. This was the first time in months she had been around her father and she found that she had missed him more than she had thought she had. She also found that she was thinking of the brother that she had that had told her to run.

“Papa” she said finally. “Are we going to see Archer ever again?”

Her Papa went very still next to her and then he swung her round so she was sitting on the edge of one of the wings and her legs were dangling off the edge.

“Yes” he said firmly, so firmly that Kalani couldn’t help but believe him.

“Kalani right now we are gathering intelligence so that we can find out where he is and then we will go and get him back”

Kalani nodded.

“He told me to run” she said trying to tell her father that she had left her brother to face the First Order alone. “He told me to run so I did. I left him”

Her Papa shook his head. “No you did exactly the right thing kid, you warned your grandpa and he knew that he had to get you to me. If you hadn’t have done that then Kylo Ren could have captured all three of you and the Resistance would have never have known.”

Kalani nodded hearing the words and trying to believe them. The Resistance people all seemed to know what they were doing and that had to mean something. The Princess-General seemed to know what she was doing and that had to mean something.

“Can we get something to eat?” she asked finally. Her Papa smiled though it didn’t meet his eyes and helped her hop down from the wing and go to the cafeteria where the droids were making food and the people of the Resistance were carrying on as if life was normal. They ate for a while until an alarm went off. Kalani looked up as her father let out several words that even she knew were rude.

“Kal I have to go, I have to get my squad in the air. I need you to wait here until Grandpa comes ok”

Kalani nodded watching with wide eyes as her Papa dropped a kiss on her head and then bolted for the door. Soon she was alone in the room.

“Good morning Miss Dameron” she turned around to see a droid made entirely of gold and so shiny that she had to blink.

“Hello”

“I am C-3PO Human-Cyborg Relations. I was sent by the Princess to take you to the control room so that you can see the attack”

Kalani had no idea what he was on about but she supposed it was better than waiting alone. She grabbed her cookies.

“Is my Grandpa gonna be there?”

“Oh yes.”

“Well ok then. Lead on”

Archer had been sat in the dark for a long time now. He had wondered how much time had passed, his leg where he had banged it hurt, his knee was scraped and there was a bruise forming under his eye but other than that he was doing alright. He had barely spoken to anyone, nobody had come to find him. Certainly not the mysterious and deadly Kylo Ren.

He had been given a glass of water and something that he supposed was food that he had yet to touch but the cell he was in was large. There were lights but they had gone off as he had been left alone and his eyes had, had to adjust to the dark. He wrapped one hand around his knees and wondered weather or not Kalani had gotten away. He hoped so, his sister was fast, she was one of the fastest kids in their school and she knew when she was in danger.

Hopefully Papa would be here soon.

The doors opened and light flooded into the room which was still as large as it had been before. Archer blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light just as they had adjusted to the darkness. He winced and moved backwards hoping to remain as small as possible.

But the Stormtroopers were not there for him. The man in the long black cloak and mask was not there for him. They were dragging some unconscious woman who then thrown into some chair and strapped in. The thing in the mask turned and caught sight of Archer. There was nothing in the look that he gave but there was something that had Archer watching him wearily. He had no idea what was going on here but he didn’t want that man looking at him ever again.

The man in the mask stared at him for a long time and Archer felt a pain slice through his forehead. It last ten seconds and then it was gone, the man walked away leaving Archer in a room with two Stormtroopers, a woman who was unconscious, a pain in his head and him still clinging to the hope that his Papa, the best pilot in the Resistance would come and get him and fly him off into the galaxy with sister where they could be safe forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you are, I hope you all enjoy. The next chapter does become a lot more cannon to the film though the dialogue will be different. 
> 
> Feedback is adored.


	5. Out With The Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archer meets Rey. 
> 
> Finn and Poe reunite. 
> 
> Finn must attempt to deal with the events of the last day and a half. 
> 
> Kalani Dameron attempts to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so here is another chapter and I must apologise for the heinous lateness but I have recently started a new job and therefore time has not been my friend. I will try and update again much, much sooner rather than later however at Christmas I try and do a multiple update so it might be I wait until nearer the time and post two or three chapters. 
> 
> Disclaimer-Nothing is mine. 
> 
> Please read and review. 
> 
> And as I always say spelling and grammar are not the best for me so any inaccuracies I apologise.

When Rey woke up she found that she was in a metal chair. Her hands were strapped backwards and she sat back her head against the head rest and she forced herself not to think of the last person, whomever he or she might be. There was a pause as she tried to take a breath and wipe the drying sweat and tears from her eyes even though she couldn’t touch them. It was then that she sensed it. She homed it down to the experiences that came with living in constant danger on Jakku rather than what she’d been told was the Force. Which she now apparently possessed.

In Rey’s not to humble opinion that was a load of bantha shit anyway.

“Hello” she said finally her head twisting to the side peer into the edge of the corner of the room that was still shrouded in some darkness.

There was a pause and then something, or someone moved closer. Rey watched and then as if he was slowly taking a step forwards she saw a boy no older than eight standard years crawl out of the shadows. He was a human boy dressed in clothes that had seen better days and were matted with dust. His hair was jet black and had the appearance of being tugged at by the boys small hands. His skin was a little darker than Rey’s but not as dark as Finn’s. His head was sticky with dried blood and he had a bruise under his eye. His knuckles were scrapped but other than that (and the slightly scared look on his face) he looked mostly unharmed.

What the fuck was going on here?

“Hello” the boy said back after several seconds where he stared at her. Rey gave a small smile, the boy folded his head on his knees and watched her with wide unblinking eyes. He seemed curious and Rey stared back at him trying to work some words into her throat and her mouth.

“My name is Rey”

“Archer Dameron”

Dameron, why did that name sound familiar? Oh yes Finn had mentioned him, the Resistance pilot that he had helped escape that had started Finn on the path that he was now on, the Resistance pilot who had been…killed.

Ah, Rey wasn’t sure what to say anymore. She didn’t know weather or not these two were related or if they even knew each other but either way she knew when it was best to keep your mouth shut and she knew that this was one of those times.

“How old are you Archer?”

“Eight”

“Are you alright?” Rey said seeing the blood crusting at his temple. The boy…Archer…ran a hand through the messy curls on the top of his head and shrugged. “I seem to have stopped bleeding.. That has to be a good sign, I suppose”

Rey nodded not sure of what she was going to say next.

Curiosity however got the better of her.

“Archer why are you here?”

“My father is the best fight pilot the Resistance has” Archer said so puffed up with pride that Rey couldn’t help but smile despite the pain that came from the broken skin of her lips. “I don’t know what he did but the First Order came after me and my sister. She got away, I didn’t. But it’s ok, the Resistance is going to come Rey, they will rescue us both”

Rey had to look away at that. She was not going to stop a child believing in the all powerful belief that his parents were coming after him. Just because her own were never coming back didn’t mean that Archer Damerons father wouldn’t be coming after his son. And besides, Finn had trusted the idea of the Resistance, he had trusted their goodness even from afar otherwise he wouldn’t have wanted to get the map back to them.

She forced herself under control and quickly turning back a smile plastered on her face. She was not going to let this kid lose the hope that she had lost the second that spacecraft had left the skies of Jakku. She was going to get him back to his father if she could.

She told him as much and she was rewarded with a soft ‘Thanks’ and a small smile. Rey wondered weather or not the kid believed her or if he had jumped to the same conclusion, all alone in the wilderness that was captivity, that she had and that his father was probably dead. Finn had said he’d drowned in the sinking sands and Rey knew enough about that part of her home planet to know that it was a very likely occurrence. Instead she smiled again the coil of worry around her chest loosening a little as she took the kid in in all his underfed, bruised and yet happy glory.

She leaned back against the headrest and tried to find that _thing _deep inside of her that she had been told was the Force and that she needed to tap into, she needed to fight with. Personally Rey wasn’t sold on the idea that she was going to the heir to Luke Skywalker’s Jedi lightsabre thing but she also had a great sense that the man in the mask—Kylo Ren—was going to come back in and try to glean as much information out of her that he could get. She was not going to give him anything if she could do her damned best to help it. She was not going to give up Finn or Han or BB8 and that map that led straight to the Last Jedi. And for that she needed to clear her head and not think of her friends.

And to think, just this morning she had been on the sands of Jakku telling Finn to stop holding her fucking hand.

Archer Dameron shifted a little. Rey could see without seeing that he was now lying on his head, head pillowing his arm and that he was staring at her intently in a way that cut into her meditation time as if nothing had happened.

Rey shut her eyes, closed her mouth and tried to breath. She did think that it was getting a little bit better but then at that moment the door opened and in came two Stormtroopers flanked by Kylo Ren.

Archer Dameron shifted back into the shadows his head bowed keeping silent, Rey shifted a little too and cracked her jaw from one side to the other. If Kylo Ren wanted a fight then he would get one hell of a fight alright.

Nobody was going to hurt a child on her watch.

Finn took a moment to breathe. The whole air seemed to still. Poe Dameron was alive.

Bb8 had almost taken out his knees running towards his master and Finn had watched as those dark eyes (that had most certainly not haunted his dreams since he had last seen them) fixed on him. Poe seemed to sway a little on the spot and then he was running towards him and Finn couldn’t help but run towards him and crush him to his chest and marvel at the feel of him.

Poe was even more stunning than he had let on.

And up close Finn had seen quite a bit.

“That’s my jacket” Poe said staring at him with some look that Finn couldn’t (wouldn’t) name and when Finn moved to take it off Poe shook his head his lip folding under his teeth in a way that he was pretty sure was illegal. Finn couldn’t help but stare despite Rey, despite the gravity of the situation or despite the fact that he…he…the ex-Stormtrooper was standing in the one place the First Order had said would lead to their deaths.

He paused for a second and that second where he and Poe were staring at each other seemed to go on for an eternity and was rudely interrupted when something hard hit him in the side and then threw it’s…no herself at Poe.

Poe caught the small girl child and hoisted her up onto his hip, Finn couldn’t see anything but a lot of brown hair and small hands but Poe clearly knew her because he spun her around a bit laughing.

“Papa you came back!” the small child cried as her Dad threw her up into the air and back down again. Finn would have put her at about five standard years and knew that she was probably not of an inconsiderable weight.

“Of course I did Kal. Didn’t I say nothing could stop the best fighter pilot in the Resistance?”

“Did you find Archer?”

The smile fell off Poe’s face and the darkness came back into his eyes.

“No, no I didn’t love but I promise you I will and this man is gonna help us. Kalani meet Finn. Finn I would like you to meet my daughter Kalani Dameron”

Kalani Dameron had eyes that were exact shape and shade of brown as her father, her hair was lighter more of a milky chocolate colour and her skin was a bit lighter than Poe’s but her eyes seemed to rake over Finn the same way her father’s had done. Finn tried very hard not to squirm.

“Hello Finn” Kalani said her tone very natural. Finn noticed that she had a bruise forming at the top of her head and a cut on her skinny knee.

“It’s nice to meet you Miss Dameron” he said winking. Kalani giggled as if she couldn’t stop herself.

“Finn, Kalani is an Ex-Stormtrooper. He saved my life. So you don’t have to be scared of him or anything. He’s not a Stormtrooper anymore.”

Kalani’s eyes went to Finn’s face to her father’s back and forth for a second and then she swallowed and nodded. “Grandpa is speaking with the Princess-General. Han Solo is there too. I think there having some kind of row” Poe chucked depositing his daughter on the floor where she landed on sturdy boots.

“Go and tell your Grandpa I’m coming”

Kalani ran off.

“Cute kid” Finn said finally trying to recover from his shock.

“Yeah she’s a bit skittish at the moment since what happened to her brother”

“Brother?”

Oh bantha shit—the best looking man in the galaxy was married wasn’t he? Of all the rotten luck.

“Yeah my son. Archer he…the First Order took him after we escaped. My Dad brought Kalani too me”

Finn took a moment to apricate that but Poe was already walking and he hurried behind him watching as the man tried to work his jaw back under his control and beat down the emotions that were so clearly threatening to escape to the surface.

“I’m sorry” Finn said. Poe shook his head. “Aint your fault buddy. My Dad’s been telling me that the way I act means it’s only gonna be a matter of time…well he’s not put it that way but…you know.”

“And your wife?” Damn her.

“Oh I’m not married. Actually neither of their mothers are alive. Archers mother died in a supply run and Kalani’s mothers died in a firefight. I’m their only parent. That’s why…” he stopped and ran a hand though his hair. Finn’s battered heart ached.

“Anyway” Poe said finally. “Now we have the map…we have some skin in the game. Thank you Finn”

Finn wasn’t sure if he deserved that kind of look but he followed Finn. He needed to find Rey and now a part of him knew that he needed to save Poe’s son.

“Dad”

Kes Dameron turned around. Kalani had gone the second she had seen BB8 and she was now sat on the floor taking to the droid. Kes had a feeling that Kalani was going to ask for a BB8 unit for her next life-day and he closed his eyes a little imagining it. If Poe got her one life was going to get a lot more complicated not that Poe seemed to mind. Kes knew that spoiling his children was Poe’s way of coping with not being there for them.

He turned from watching Han and Leia’s heated conversation so familiar to him that he half expected to see Luke hanging off Wedge’s X-Wing with that half smile and Shara grinning at him from her own. Some things never change.

“Son” he said sighing in relief when he saw Poe. It didn’t matter that his son was the best, or that his mother had been the best, Kes was always happy to see them both on solid ground.

Following Poe was another man who looked slightly terrified. He had dark skin and very white teeth and Kes knew that he worked out because those arms had put him as a pathfinder to shame and Kes was rather proud that he had carried on his muscles when he had left…

Of course that was neither here nor there but…

“Dad this is Finn. He’s the ex-Stormtrooper that saved me”

Kes stared at him in complete surprise. Then before he could stop himself he hugged the poor boy who looked amazed.

“Thank you” he said finally refusing to let the emotion that he had been battling since he had learnt what had happened or what had almost happened to his boy. “Thank you for saving my son”

He pulled back to see Finn staring at him as if he had grown two heads. Hugging was clearly not something the kid was comfortable with.

“Hello Mr Dameron, Sir” the kid said formally. Poe beamed. Kes resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Son I haven’t been Mr Dameron in years and as for Sir, in the old wars I was a grunt pathfinder. Call me Kes”

“Ok” Finn said with a surprised look as if informality was something unfamiliar.

Leia turned around then. Han caught Kes eyes and then rolled his own as if to say that some things never changed. Kes grinned.

He turned back as everyone moved to the main table and saw the look that Poe sent Finn. Kes wasn’t stupid, he knew his son’s partners didn’t seem to have one sex. He knew there had been many, he knew the mentality of never knowing if tomorrow it was going to be all over. Force he had two grandchildren by two different women none of whom he had ever had the chance to meet.

But he knew well enough to know what that look was. That was the look that he had seen on Cassian Andor’s face when he had just joined the Rebellion and Andor had stared at Jyn Erso as she had boarded the ship to take them to Scariff. That was the look that he had seen on Han’s face and on Leia’s more times than he cared to count, the look that Luke and Wedge would often share. The look that he and Shara had given each other time an time again.

Kes knew his son well. Finn might be utterly oblivious but Kes wasn’t.

Another rebellion solider was in love.

Kes grinned without warning, some things never did change.

Archer had fallen asleep a little. He’d kept silent during the interrogation and Rey had told him to go to sleep. It had been difficult with the Stormtroopers there but he had done so.

He shuddered a little as something woke him up. The Stormtroopers were leaving and Rey was free.

What the…

“No time Archer” Rey said as if she could sense his confusion. “Come on. Were going”

Oh.

Archer stood up. Something about Rey’s tone told him not to annoy her.

“Now” Rey said as if they broke out of First Order prisons ever other day. “I want you to stay close to me, do everything I say and don’t draw attention to yourself. Can you run?”

“Yes”

“Can you shoot a blaster?”

“I’m eight. I want to and all but Grandpa wont let me. Says with my impulse control and my sister being my sister it’s a recipe for broken bones”

“Ah” Rey said finally grinning. “Well I suppose it’s time you learnt. We’ll see if you can get a small blaster. If not you can be the lookout” she grinned again and Archer grinned back thrilled to be a lookout though he wasn’t sure what that actually was. He kept his mouth shut though. He was going to go home.

“I do know where the Resistance base is though” he said finally. Rey beamed.

“Brilliant” she said warmly. “Come on. Were going”

And with that Archer followed her out of the cell.


	6. Out Of The Darkness, Into The Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rebel Fleet begin their attack. 
> 
> Rey, Finn and Archer all fight to get off StarKiller Base. 
> 
> Han makes the ultimate sacrifice. 
> 
> Kes and Leia reminisce and the Dameron family regroup. 
> 
> Last of the film’s cannon related chapters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so here is another chapter, there is another coming after this and then I am hopeful that I can finish this story before 2020 so I hope you all enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> Disclaimer-Nothing in this chapter bar Archer and Kalani are mine. The world of Star Wars is not mine I just play around with the amazing characters. 
> 
> As I always say spelling and grammar are not my strongest suit so if any issues I don't apologise.

Archer had been running for what felt like a very long time. Rey kept looking around corners and he had to stand there wishing that there was something that he could do before she told him it was safe to move. Somehow she didn’t seem to want to trust him with the blaster something Archer kind of agreed with because he imagined if it was as heavy as it looked it would probably make him fall over.

Twice Rey had almost forgotten he was there. Once she had tried to climb down the wall of a massive whole where the shuttles went through and Archer had followed her telling himself very sternly that he was not to look down and this was no different than the Force Tree that he and Kalani had climbed all the time in their garden at the back of their house.

It wasn’t of course but if he closed his eyes and moved his feet downwards and tried to pretend that it wasn’t hard to see the bottom. He forced himself to breathe and then he jumped sideways into the cubby hole that Rey had followed and then promptly his knees gave out and his breath came out in shallow bursts.

Rey turned around and looked at him and the expression on her face softened somewhat. She sat down next to him and Archer tried to speak but he found that he couldn’t. He was eight. He needed his Dad.

“Archer” Rey said softly and then her fingers came out and wiped under his eyes. Archer hoped against hope that it was sweat on his face and not tears that she was wiping away because if so—how embarrassing! Kalani would never let him hear the end of it. Therefore he hoped it was just exhaustion.

“Oh Archer” Rey said smiling. She pulled him a little bit closer and he forced himself to move with her despite the fact that his legs felt like tree trunks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think that it would be this hard on you. But you’ve been so good, I mean it you’ve ran and climbed your way down so many dangerous routes. I’m sorry I didn’t think that you might struggle. Guess I’m used to doing stuff like this on my own”

“It’s ok” Archer said though his teeth were chattering. “It was just a long way down. And…and the whole base has got to be looking for us right now”

“Yes” Rey said nodding her head “I suppose they are, but remember the Resistance is also looking for us. If I can get us to a transport and if you know where the Resistance is going to be then we can escape. Right now we both need each other.”

“I know” Archer said finally. “I know and I can be brave Rey but can we please just sit here for a second until my legs feel better”

Rey nodded and leaned back against the wall. Archer could tell that she was desperate to keep moving but he was eight and he was sure that if he stood up he was sure that he was going to collapse again and that wouldn’t do them any good. Instead he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the fact that he was sure it had been more than two days since he had last eaten or drank anything.

Force…he wanted to see his father so bad. He wanted to see his grandpa so bad. Actually, he wanted to see Kalani so bad and considering she was his irritating little sister then he supposed that, that meant something.

He forced the spit and the bile that was choking him down and forced himself to stand up.

“Do we have to do much more climbing?” he asked. “Because I’ll try Rey but I’m not sure that I can do something like that again. It was a terribly long way down”

Rey nodded. “I cannot promise it” she said finally. “But I can promise you that you won’t have to do It alone. I do apologise Archer. I cannot imagine that it was easy for you but you have been so brave. If I can ask it off you then please can you be brave a little longer?”

Archer nodded. “If you can get me to my Papa, Rey, then I can do anything” he said finally. “I promise you that”

Rey smiled at him. “Good man” she said. “Let’s go down this corridor and then hopefully we can get to a ship. Archer” she said bending down to him so he was face level and so unsure suddenly if she was using the Force.

“If it kills me I will get you home to your father. Believe me when I promise you that”

Archer nodded because it was all he could do.

He forced himself to get to his feet and walk following Rey down the passageway. How he did that he didn’t know but he knew that he could. He was a Dameron after all.

There was a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his sister that told him that he was being a complete and utter idiot. But then again it was his sister and Archer was used to ignoring her.

No matter how much he wanted to see her again, to know that she was alright, to know that Papa—the Best Pilot in the Resistance—was alright.

Poe had received the call ten whole minutes after the plan had been put in place. After Finn had declared without a moments hesitation that he could get onto the planet and into the main Data Vault so that he could find the—well Poe had admittedly stopped listening sometime after the admission that Han Solo could get Finn onto the planet. There was just something about him that made Poe want to do…

Well…Bad Things.

Things that wouldn’t help when he had to consider his first born who was still somewhere in the galaxy and his youngest who now wanted a BB unit for her birthday.

But really? Was it fair that Finn had biceps that were as strong and as firm and as large as the planet Endor?

Poe had never been shy in the fact that he liked what he wanted. He had two children by two completely different woman, and he had never been a stranger to the odd man joining the mix. He had only cared about his children and his Dad before and had never felt the visceral way that he had felt for Finn before.

He had been ensuring BB8 was prepared to make the jump to Lightspeed when he felt his girl Kalani hit his leg. He was hyper aware (Force he always seemed to be hyper aware of him these days didn’t he?) of Finn standing by the Falcon with Han and Chewie. He didn’t turn around (and was it rather pathetic that he was rather pleased with himself for that little victory?) rather he picked his daughter up so that she was on his hip. For a five year old she was still sturdy, for a five year old she was heavy on his hip. To be honest had he not been as hyped for this mission as he was then he would have put her on the ground but he knew that Archer’s safety was dependant on Finn getting into the base and lowering the shields to see if he could find his location. If his son wasn’t on Starkiller Base then he didn’t know what he was going to do.

He had to swallow down the vomit that rose suddenly and had to quash it back down into the panic filled stomach where the rest of the nerves were residing. There would be time to panic and reflect and go through the emotions when this was over. Poe knew better than most the danger that came when you went into a battle with your emotions all over the place and your eye off the prize endgame.

It was just the fact that the endgame had changed.

Weather or not Finn knew that while he was on the base trying to change the codes he was also looking for Poe’s son, Poe himself didn’t know. The General had thought it best that the least he know about what was happening on the ground the better. As the leader of two squadrons worth of pilots and one of the best shots in the Resistance,

She might have told him or Finn might have figured it out himself. Poe didn’t know and he didn’t trust himself to ask.

“You know” said a voice to his left and he turned to see his own Papa standing there watching the X-Wing with the soft smile he adopted when he was thinking about Poe’s mother. “No matter how many times she’d get in that plane and tell me that I was worrying myself unnecessarily, I was always scared she wouldn’t come back”

Poe snorted. He couldn’t stop himself as Kalani ran her fingers over the smooth paint of his X-Wing.

“You know she probably felt the same as you did” he said teasingly. His father laughed. “Oh I know she did, told me a couple of times as well. But I always thought it was more dangerous for her in the air than it was for me on the ground.”

“Do you miss it?” Poe asked curiously. Even Kalani turned to look at her grandfather with wide eyes.

“Sometimes” Kes grinned. “I miss the adrenaline, the charge, the belief that you are doing something, I miss the parties and the company and living one day to the next. It made you reckless in a good and a bad way. That’s why I understood your decisions. But I don’t miss the worry, the itching worry that got under your veins. I don’t miss the sleepless nights and wondering if your mother was going to come home or the way she clutched at me when I came back with a new scar. I don’t miss the complete lack of privacy either or the way someone that you were speaking to at breakfast might be dead by dinner. There are people that I miss. Cassian Andor was a good friend of mine in the early days, Luke Skywalker, Wedge, Leia and Han. Jyn Erso for the brief second I saw her stand up to the Allied Command…I miss bits of it and then when I’m at home in Yavin 4 with those two monsters…” he punctuated this with a wink at Kalani who giggled and promptly wriggled in a way that told Poe she wanted to be back on the ground.

“Then I find I don’t miss it as much”

Poe nodded. He could understand it. His Dad and him had never had the conversation about the consequences of enlisting. It was a mixed bag of porgs, if he had never gone his son wouldn’t be in danger, and if he had never gone he wouldn’t have had his son anyway, or his daughter.

“I’ll be safe” he said bending down to hug Kalani tightly. She hugged him back, caught sight of C-3P0 and then ran off struggling against the tide of people milling about.

“You better” his Dad said and then he was in his arms breathing in that familiar scent that had put him to sleep after his mother had passed more than one night. He closed his eyes.

“Trust the Force son. Failing that trust Leia”

Poe snorted and ran a finger under his eyes. He got into his plane. Carefully he didn’t look at his father or his daughter, he didn’t think about his son.

He had a job to do.

Not for the first time in his life Finn had no idea what the plan here was. They seemed to be going by what Solo was talking about. Poe thought that considering the man had blown up one of these planet killing things they should. The only good thing that had happened as they had lowered the shields and managed to give the Resistance the code so that they could make the jump to Lightspeed was that he had found Rey.

Or more likely Rey had found him. And she was with a boy that Finn knew without a shadow of a doubt was the son of Poe Dameron.

He looked exhausted, there was a nasty cut on his lip and he was bleeding a little in the tangle of curls on his head and he looked like all he wanted was a good hug (Finn could remember the feeling from childhood well) and he wasted no time after hugging Rey dropping to his knee so he could look the eight year old in the eye.

“Archer my name is Finn. I’m a friend of your Dad’s. He’s been looking for you, I’m going to get you back to him ok?”

Archer nodded his lip folding under his teeth as he bit down.

“Is Kalani with him?”

“Yes, and your Grandpa.”

Archer stared at him for a second and then nodded wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. Finn reached out and patted him on the back as Han Solo came panting back into view.

“Alright” he said. “I have a plan”

Archer followed Finn and Rey and Finn without thinking gave the boy his father’s jacket. It practically drowned him but as they climbed the massive iron ladder into the tower, Archer in front of him and Rey with her gun brining up the rear (as Han and Chewie went down below) he couldn’t help but think that it gave the boy as much comfort as it had given Finn.

Kes had been stood next to Leia when it happened. She gasped suddenly and her hand came out. The look on her face was so terribly familiar that Kes reached out and grabbed it and helped her sit down forgetting that he was an ex-pathfinder and she a Princess since birth and took her face in his hands. He knew what had happened. He knew that look.

“Han” he said without making it a question. Leia mashed her lips together and nodded once. Kes closed his eyes and tried not to think of the handsome cock sure pilot that had made the girls in Shara’s squad giggle to themselves, of the flirt that had helped Luke blow up the Death Star and who had survived torture and carbon freeze, of the man who had a lead figure in the rebellion and had still liked to be the centre of attention but who had only had eyes for the woman that was grieving for him now. Leia and Han, had, had a complicated relationship at best, their son had not made that easier but the love that they had shared had ran true and had ran deep.

“Ben killed him” Leia said finally and her voice shook.

“I’m sorry” he said, he was sorry about Han he was, but all he could think about was if Ben Solo, the cute little boy who used to play with Poe, had killed his own father then what hope did Kes’s eight year old grandson have of surviving?

The second Rey had crumpled Finn had reacted.

“Stay” he barked at Archer who white faced, tears on his face sank in the snow next to Rey’s form and watched Finn take the lightsabre. He had no idea what he was doing but he had a better fighting chance than Rey had done and he knew how to duck and weave.

The problem was he suspected Kylo Ren was better.

Also he suspected that the Force might have helped.

The pain ripped through his back and he found that he crumpled to the floor snow freezing the pain that was spreading through his back. He collapsed his eyes fluttering shut and he saw Archer run to him slipping and sliding on the snow. He wanted to tell him to go back but he couldn’t form the words.

“Finn” Archer sobbed collapsing next to him. “Please Finn don’t leave me here with him, please”

Finn tried to form words but his tongue was too heavy. He closed his eyes and let the pain take him under.

_I’m sorry Poe _were his last thoughts, _I’m sorry I failed. _

The boy was screaming.

Ben…no Kylo…he was Kylo…stepped forwards lightsabre in hand. It would prove the point wouldn’t it? If he ended it here. The traitor was dead, the girl was dead, his father was dead. He moved to lift the weapon and then paused.

He couldn’t do it.

_Weak _

_Weak _

_Weak _

The boy kept looking at him, he was bleeding and shivering and there was blood on his face and hands, his face was covered in tears and his hands were covered in the blood off the traitor’s back. And yet despite the fact that he was Kylo’s enemy, that he was Snoke’s enemy, he couldn’t do it.

_Weak _

_Weak _

_Weak _

The boy stared at him.

_Weak _the voice in his head taunted him. Snoke’s voice.

_Weak. _

_Kill the boy, kill the boy, kill the boy. _

_He couldn’t kill the boy. _

It was almost a relief when the lightsabre went swinging past him and erupted in blue light. The girl stared at him her eyes alight with fury, the boy moved back his whole body shuddering with adrenaline, shock and loss.

The woman…Rey her name was…Rey ran at him.

Kylo almost welcomed the duel. He was sure he would win.

After all, who was this woman compared him?

Archer had sat there in the snow unsure of what to do for how long he didn’t know. At some point he had stopped crying and had stopped shivering but now he was biting his sore lip so hard he could feel blood dripping down his chin. He couldn’t believe that he had once played pretend games about the Resistance. This wasn’t funny.

Han Solo was dead, Finn was dead, Rey was dead, and this planet was crumbling. He knew he should move but he didn’t know where. He was going to die, he was eight and he was sure he was going to die without seeing Kalani or Papa or Grandpa.

There was a bang behind them and he turned to see Rey come running through the forest weapon in hand. Archer would have been glad to see her, indeed he was but he couldn’t move his body right now. His teeth were chattering.

Rey breathed heavily and then she collapsed down on the ground. Archer didn’t ask her about Kylo Ren instead he sat there watching her to see if she had something of a plan.

When the bright lights of the Millennium Falcon came down on them Archer thought he should have been thrilled.

But he could barely stand.

He wanted his Papa. He didn’t want to be brave anymore.

There was a lot of blood staining the snow, as they took off Rey moved Finn into the med bay. He paused standing there and shivering until he found a fresher. He saw the toilet and threw up neatly. He sat there shivering for a long time until Rey found him and he wasn’t sure if it was cold or something else.

“Come on” she said wrapping him in a blanket. “I have the com set up. Let’s go and see if we can speak to your Papa”

Poe knew the second that he had gotten off the plane that something had happened. His father with a strange expression on his face was waiting for him. He didn’t say anything but dragged him into a small control room which was empty. Poe was about to start when he saw Kalani sat there grinning even though he was sure she needed to sleep again.

“What the--?”

“There’s someone who you need to speak to” his Dad said pointing to the coms and grinning though Poe noticed that his eyes were rather bright.

Poe stared at him and then pressed the button hoping against hope.

_Please _

_Please _

_Please _

“Hello” he said into the coms.

There was a pause and some static and then the most beautiful sound Poe had ever heard, a sound that had tears coming to his eyes and spilling over without hesitation.

“Papa?”

Poe’s legs went out from under him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you are, next chapter should be straight after this one. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Feedback is adored.


	7. Of Impossible Escapes And Joyful Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and his children are reunited. 
> 
> Finn is wounded. 
> 
> Rey says her (temporary) goodbyes. 
> 
> Kes realises what these past events mean for his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so here is the final chapter of this update, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a very happy and safe 2020. I hope to finish this story before the New Year but if I don't...
> 
> As I said in the previous chapter usual disclaimers apply, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Poe had been waiting outside for at least ten minutes. Archer had all but confirmed he was ok but very cold and then Rey had come on the coms insisting that Finn needed a medic as soon as possible which had sent a spike of terror through Poe’s heart so much so he thought about just putting his face to the cold (and undoubtably filthy) ground and just shutting his eyes. However his father had with all the calm of a man who had done this, many, many times gotten on the coms just before they had made the jump to Lightspeed and had been cut off. 

Now he was waiting. 

Kalani was waiting with him. It was a combination of stubbornness that he suspected came from him and an iron will that really did come from her mother, that kept her on her feet. She was determined to see her brother and she was curled up on the edge of his wing her eyes blinking like the stuffed loth-cat she was clutching as she stared. Poe smoothed a hand down her hair and thought to himself that never again would he take this for granted. 

His children. His wonderful children. 

Force how had he ever had the strength to leave them behind? 

He knew the answer to that of course he did. He knew exactly why he had done what he had done. He couldn’t be the child of the parents that he had and hide away when the call to fight came. He was too invested in the free and fair galaxy that his parents had fought for, that his parents had lost friends and family to. Their peace had been so hard earned that Poe couldn’t stand the idea of it crumbling beneath them. 

And he was too much his parents son. 

Neither one of them had ran away, they had put their role as parents on hold (perhaps forever) to focus on the greater good and that was something that up until this very minute Poe had never fully appreciated. Because it was hard. 

_ It was so fucking hard.  _

He forced himself to take another deep breath. 

And then there was Finn. 

Finn who he had a sneaking suspicion was it for him since the Finalizer. 

Finn who had been wounded trying to rescue his son. 

Finn who even if he did survive might not want an aging—in his thirties—pilot who had a reputation for sleeping around and two kids with two different mothers to prove that point. 

Finn, who might want Rey. 

Force he had to shake his head. Archer would be home soon, once he had his children under one roof then he could sit down with his father and think about what they were going to do next. 

For sure he knew they couldn’t go back to Yavin 4. Kylo Ren knew of the existence of his children he had kidnapped his son on the way to his own school, the house with the Force Tree in the back garden and his mother’s old X-Wing at the front that his father had never been able to get rid of, that Poe himself had learnt to fly upon was now uninhabitable. 

And that lead to a set of problems that Poe had always hoped he would never have to encounter.

What to do now? 

There were no good answers. Either he let his children go back to the only home that they knew and hope against hope that this situation never happened again (and who was he kidding when he thought of that situation?), he let them go off to unknown corners of the galaxy and hoped against hope that he would see them again (and while Poe knew that, that was the best situation for all of them he didn’t think his heart could take something like that) and then there was the one he wanted so selfishly—which was to take his father and his children on this adventure with him. 

But then what happened then? They lived mission to mission, base to base, transport to transport? He wasn’t sure if he could do that either. How could he condemn his children to that kind of life? How could he insist his father drag himself out of that kind of retirement to face it with him? 

He didn’t know what to do and it was at this moment of utter crisis that Poe realised he was utterly and completely alone. 

He racked his brains to think about what his mother or what his father or any of his heroes would have done in his situation but he had no idea. He had no idea and as every second went by that he wasn’t with his son then he was going to scream. 

At last he could see the ship coming into view through the clouds. He could see the shape of the ship that had legendry status the length and breath of the galaxy as the ship that had run the Kessell Run in Twelve Parcets, the ship that had destroyed two Death Stars, that had outran more than one Star Destroyer and had fled from Bespin under incredible odds. It was the ship that Poe and every other pilot that he had known and had served with would have given their right arm to fly or at the very least given their right arm to get a look at the mechanics. Had the situation been different Poe could have felt his mouth water just at the sight of it in all it’s beauty. 

There was a heavy hand at the side of him on his shoulder and Poe knew it was his father. 

“We need to talk at some point when all of this is over” his father said into the silence. Kalani had sat up her dark hair tumbling over her shoulder and Poe reached for her without thinking so that she was hooked on his hip. Even though he knew, trusted and adored his father there was still something about what he had said that had Poe reaching for his children. Or at the very least the one child that he had left. 

The Falcon landed and Poe turned. 

Finn was taken off first. Poe caught a sight of dark hair and dark skin and a lot of blood before he turned away twisting so that Kalani couldn’t see even though she waved at Chewie who was carrying the man. The woman…Rey came down next her brown hair in three little neat buns and then as he dropped Kalani to the floor in anticipation the sweetest sound that he had ever heard and then someone else came off the ship. 

It was a small dark haired boy. 

It was Poe’s small dark haired boy. 

Archer came down the ramp and then looked around and then when he caught sight of his father he ran. Poe caught him hallway there sweeping the boy into a hug. 

He had grown since Poe had last seen him, his hair was different but underneath that he smelled the same, he smelt like Poe’s baby, like there was still part of him that was untouched by the First Order. He was clinging to Poe his legs firm around his father’s waist and while Poe was exactly on the shy side of thirty he could still pick his boy up and keep him close. 

“Archer” he said and though his voice was trembling, though his hands were trembling and his heart was breaking, he was amazed at how he could still keep it together. 

“Archer”

“Papa” 

Force it was the sweetest sound that Poe had ever heard. 

He found the dark thatch of Archer curls (he had shaved his head on the side so that his curls were more prominent at the front and more wilder than usual) and curled his hands around them so that his son was pressed a little more closer. 

_ “Archer”  _

“That was the scariest thing that I have ever done” Archer said his voice muffled by Poe’s flight suit. “I mean I did so much climbing I felt sick and I then it was so cold and I was so scared cause Finn was bleeding and I thought I would never see you again” 

_ “Archer”  _

“You were really brave” Poe said thickly. He was never good at thinking about what to say in this situation, he had no idea how to try and manage this. 

“Archer” said another small voice followed by someone reaching out and pulling his flight suit leg. “Papa put him down” 

Reluctantly Poe put down Archer so that he and Kalani could hug. He took that moment to bend down and pull both his children into his arms. Never again would he take for granted this. If it meant leaving the Resistance to keep his children, then he would. He knew it would haunt him for the rest of his days that he had ran away from the conflict but crouching here with his son and daughter he knew he couldn’t send them away again despite it being what was best for them. 

He supposed he was too selfish. 

He took this moment to stare at Archer cataloguing the changes in him. There was a lot of blood—_there was a lot of fucking blood_—but most of it seemed to be someone else’s (Finn his mind supplied helpfully-it’s Finn’s blood) and he had a cut lip that would scab over for weeks. His head was banged and there was a bruise that ran from his temple to his cheek as if someone wearing armour had smacked him (and that sent a rage through him so hot and powerful he felt dizzy with it for a second) and he was in need of a hot bath, a good sleep and a decent meal but other than the bruise Poe could see no damage, no obvious signs that Kylo Ren had been in his head but you could never tell. He vowed to make sure that a med-droid got a look at his son. Though perhaps a gentler one than the medic who had seen to him. 

He picked up Archer again and felt his muscles burn with the weight. He held out his other hand to Kalani who was skipping along and saw his father watching him in the distance. His muscles burned with the added weight of Archer who didn’t moan about being to old to be carried but instead wrapped both of his arms around Poe’s neck. Poe couldn’t have cared less. 

Both of the children had been asleep when Kes found himself awake. He saw that Poe was missing and he had a sneaking suspicion where he was. The girl, Rey had gone with the Falcon as soon as she had, had proof that Finn was alive and had gone to convince Luke to return. Kes who knew Luke and knew how stubborn the Skywalker spirit was though that she might have her work cut out for her. 

Archer had been cleaned up given something to eat and then had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow. The Resistance was in full flood debating how long they had on D’Quar before they were found out. Kes who had lived through the Hoth evacuation knew how much of a clusterfuck they could be if you were caught unawares. Not to mention the Resistance was not the Rebellion, there was no figurehead unless you counted Leia, once they had, had Luke, they’d had Han and before that the story of all the heroes that had gone before. Hell Shara had cried when she’d first been told the story of Jyn Erso. 

He shot another look at both children asleep in the shared cot and thought that perhaps it might be safe to leave them on their own for a bit. 

He found Poe sat at Finn’s bedside. 

He didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t much he could say, clearly Poe had feelings for this man and Kes had no idea what had happened when they had both escaped or before that or after that. He couldn’t tell Poe anything when he remembered so clearly that longing in your bones for someone to hold, for someone to hold you. He couldn’t help but remember the longing when all you wanted to do was be with your child. On more than one occasion he and Shara had seriously had conversations about weather or not Poe was safer in Yavin or with them and they had rowed and screamed and cried with each other as they wound themselves around in circles time and time again. 

“I think it’s best if we stay” he said finally. Poe turned to look at him exhaustion pulling at every inch of his face. Kes remembered the feeling of being so tired that all you wanted to do throughout the day was sleep and then at night all you tried to do was stay awake because you were utterly terrified of what you would dream off. 

Oh Kes remembered that feeling well, even now twenty years after the Empire he was still not sleeping completely through the night. 

“It’s not what I wanted you know” Poe said so quiet that Kes had to catch up with it. “This. Them here, it’s not what wanted, I mean…I never wanted this to happen but the thought of sending them away to live with strangers or with you and not know where you are…if the First Order were to blow up another system and…I couldn’t do it Dad. I couldn’t” 

“I know” Kes said heavily. “I know” 

And he did. 

“So” he said in an effort to break the tension. 

“Are you going to tell Finn how you feel?” 

The look on Poe’s face was so comical it made him snort with laughter. 

“Oh son you were never good at hiding your feelings” 

“You don’t think it’s too soon?”

“You never cared about that when you brought home your babies. Besides I know what it’s like to live thinking you might die tomorrow. Life in this game is fleeting. Grab happiness where you can and when you can. Besides if I the look he was shooting you during the briefing was anything to go by then I’d say you were in for a decent shot.” 

Poe looked down but he couldn’t completely hide his blush. Kes grinned. He patted his son on the back. 

“At least this time I wont have to worry about you getting them pregnant” he said finally. 

Poe groaned into his hands. 

“Are you never going to let me forget that one?” 

“Nope” Kes said popping the P like some sort of teenager. “Now let the med-droids do their work. I think right now the kids need you more. Plus you need to sleep” 

Poe ran a hand over his face and then nodded stumbling towards the door. 

Kes watched him and then turned back to the kid on the bed that had risked everything for a choice, for a free life, for his son and grandson. 

_ You’d like this one Shara  _ he thought to himself unable to stop grinning or the wetness at the corner of his eyes. _And it looks like I’m back in the game. Course I’m probably to old for it. _

He took one more look at the kid on the bed and then moved towards the door so that he could follow his son. 

He found Poe curled around his children fast asleep. Thankfully it looked like neither one of them had woken up. Before sleep claimed him though he could have sworn he heard his wife laughing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you are, hopefully will see you soon. 
> 
> Feedback is adored.


	8. Careful What You Wish For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn recovers, the Resistance get a temporary reprieve, Archer and Poe have a talk, Finn wakes up. (Not Last Jedi compliment) Penultimate chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, here is the penultimate chapter, after this will be posted the last chapter so look there for a long note, 
> 
> Disclaimer-Nothing is mine. 
> 
> This story is also not Last Jedi or Rise of Skywalker cannon so it does end with a happy ending.
> 
> Spelling and grammar are not my strong suit so I apologise if there are any inaccuracies. Also i have played around with some cannon characters in this story, that is all on me. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Finn was moved to a room away from the rest of the soldiers recovering from the battle. The days following the battle were also as long as the que of people needing to be seen. The ships that had survived the bombing runs were damaged. Poe had spent the majority of the afternoon (after he had slept for most of the morning) trying to scrub soot of his wing and directing other pilots to find their droids and assess how many parts they were going to need to make sure that they could get in the air when the evacuation happened.

Poe had scrubbed at the soot on his plane with a mood that was as black as the soot. There was a pause where he stood there stared over the edge of the wing. Kalani was sat on Pava’s X-Wing chatting away with the older woman. Her hair was braided in a neat braid that was on top of her head and did a fantastic job of keeping the loose strands out of the way—he would have to learn that one or at the very least ensure Pava was always around so he could become his daughter’s hairdresser. She was chatting and Poe was half inclined to go over and ensure his daughter wasn’t making things more difficult for Jess who elbow deep in oil grease but instead the other woman was chatting back animatedly. Kalani was up (before noon which was a miracle in itself) and smiling and Poe took that in for a second because his children’s smiles had long since become gold to him.

And now he was to have them in his life for the foreseeable future. He had no idea how to deal with that.

Long ago Poe had made the decision to keep his children away from him. The times in which he could be a father had been measured in between visits and were few and far between what with the First Order scattered across the galaxy and sympathisers in every joint across the wide vacuum of space. He was still a bit unsure about what to do now they were living in a rebel base.

It wasn’t so bad. Poe knew that the Resistance didn’t turn away children and he was most certainly not the only person to have children. There was enough kids running around here to fill two classes worth for a makeshift school and he knew that Leia made sure they got on the first transport and that they were safe before anyone even got to their planes. Security was not the problem here. The problem was Poe had absolutely no idea what he was to do next when it came to the two children who had just had their worlds imploded and didn’t even realise it yet.

At some point it was going to become obvious that they couldn’t go back home.

And Poe didn’t know what to tell them when that revelation eventually happened.

“Papa” said a voice to his left and he turned to see Archer, neat little stiches over the wound in his head watching him. Clearly he had had a bath and he was in a change of clothes but the shirt was a bit too big for him and made him look smaller than he actually was. Poe grinned down at him but Archer didn’t smile back.

“Yes son?”

“Is Finn going to be alright?”

Poe dithered. The correct answer was that he didn’t know and while he knew Finn was a survivor _knew it in the core of his bones _he also knew that recovering from those kinds of wounds took time and they simply did not have time. Already the First Order could be zeroing In on their location. If Rey didn’t bring Luke Skywalker back with her…if they didn’t launch a good strong offense soon…

But his eight year old didn’t ned to hear that.

“Yes I think so” he said picking up Archer—and wow he was heavy—and putting him on the wing of the plane. “I think Finn can survive just about anything don’t you?”

“I suppose so” Archer said nodding. “It’s just there was a lot of blood”

Poe bit his lip again. The one thing he had never wanted was for Archer and Kalani to understand or see the cost of a war.

“I know buddy” he said finally. “But you did so well. I never really said that did I? You protected your sister and you helped Rey and Finn. I am so proud of you Archer”

“Doesn’t feel like I did much” Archer confessed. Poe nodded.

“I know it feels like this now. But you did. You did so well”

Archer stared at him for another long second and Poe thought he could see everything in his dark eyes. Archer knew that Poe had been lying to him for a long time. About the Resistance, about Finn, about all of it. Somewhere down the line after all of the events that had happened his son had lost his childhood, that sense of security that came in that big house with the Force tree in the backyard.

Someday Kylo Ren was going to pay for that.

Poe was going to make sure of it.

“Ok” Archer said finally. “Do we get to stay with you now?”

“Yes” Poe said just as soft, he wasn’t sure what else he could say.

Archer looked over the edge of the plane to where Kalani was still chatting with Jess. Poe followed his gaze.

“Kalani’s gonna be a nightmare when she finds out” he said finally. “She’s got her eye on a BB8 unit for herself. And she’s not gonna go to school or anything like that”

Poe grinned running one of his hands down Archer’s face trying to memorise the sharp cheekbones, the lines of his jaw, the way his skull fit still into Poe’s hand. He was still Poe’s baby even if babyhood had been left behind somewhere on a planet that didn’t exist.

“Yeah” he said solemnly. “But she also wanted a loth-cat. She didn’t get that, she’s not gonna get a droid”

“Oh” Archer said looking disappointed. “I thought if she got one I could have a blaster”

Poe snorted with laugher and was rewarded with his son’s cheeky smile.

“Dream on son, dream on”

Archer’s grin was wide and beautifully real.

Finn drifted and dreamed.

He dreamt of a planet surrounded by clouds, of snow mixed with blood, of a small boy who had stared at him tears running down his face and his hands covered in blood but who had stared at him despite the fact that Finn was dying. He dreamt of a small girl with flyaway brown hair who had looked at him with curiosity and not suspicion.

Finn drifted and dreamed.

He dreamt of a man who had smiled at him despite the blood covering his face. He dreamt of the most perfect man he had ever seen. Who had two children, who had a father and a place in this world and who had given Finn a name, an identity, a choice.

He dreamt of a girl, of a friend, who had held out her hand an who had taught him that there was still hope and that you could fight even when you didn’t have anything.

He dreamt of a legacy that was now on the edge, an unbreakable trio now broken. And another trio who would stand against evil.

Finn’s subconiousness was strange.

Must be the drugs.

He dreamt as he lay there with the machines beeping all around him and he noticed as consciousness was coming closer and closer that his dreams always came back to Poe Dameron.

Finn was screwed.

Finn opened his eyes.

Kes had been sat down at the table in the main coms room with his grandchildren. Poe was next to them occasionally commentating on the homework they had been given. Kes was mildly impressed they had this long together before the rush of an evacuation. They’d had three days on Yavin 4 and then periods of rushed evacuations before Hoth which had been a complete cluster fuck from the start. Now they had time to get the kids into the Resistance school (despite the moaning and groaning) and time for them to understand that they were not on some sort of holiday but would be staying here for a while and therefore they were expected to behave.

Kalani already had a knack for climbing and exploring. Kes wasn’t sure he even wanted to think about the damage she could do in the Resistance by climbing the wrong thing at the wrong time.

They had some time however as a family before the next evacuation, something Poe seemed glad about and Kes was too. He knew his son had half a mind on his children and half a mind on the Stormtrooper currently unconscious and he found himself more amused by it than anything else. Life he had learnt a long time ago was short, if Poe found happiness then who was he to stand in the way of that.

Besides, he had only met Finn once and he could already tell he liked him. The boy thought the world of Poe and anyone who would take on Kylo Ren to protect his grandson was worth a good amount of respect in Kes’s books.

“Hey” came a voice to his left and he looked up to see the pilot—Snap lean over. “That’s three by the way” he said pointing at Kalani’s math book who grinned scribbling her answer. Kes resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Now Kalani was going to go to him for every difficult math problem she had…which was going to be all the time.

“Snap?” Poe asked.

Snap grinned. “Finn’s awake”

Archer cheered, Poe half started off his seat his face turning red, Kes sighed in a combination of relief and exasperation.

He was really getting too old for this.

“I thought he was awake?” Archer said leaning over the edge of Finn’s bed. Poe tugged his son back a little. If—no—when—Finn opened his eyes the last thing he would want to see was Archer’s face two inches above his own.

“Yes and he was. He opened his eyes and spoke a little and then the med-droids gave him some more medicine to make him sleep” Poe explained patiently. He knew this because he might have been a bit—forceful—with the med-droid when they had arrived and found Finn unconscious.

All for the sake of his concerned children of course.

“Of course” his father had deadpanned.

Poe ignored him.

Archer sighed a little his fists curled up on the bedcovers.

“I wish he’d wake up” he said quietly.

“I know son, I know. But we can come back tomorrow”

“We can do him a card” Kalani said from where she had been leaning her head against the metal rail at the foot of the bed. “We can do him, get well soon cards, he doesn’t seem to have any” she eyed the bare room with a surprised look.

“We can do that can we not Papa?”

“Of course” Poe said glad to have something to fixate on. “Why don’t the two of you head back to the table and leave your homework until tomorrow and draw Finn a card”

That got two cheers and then his children were gone. His father shot him a look and then left as well probably to ensure his kids didn’t create havoc on the short trip back to their quarters.

Poe bent down to where Finn’s hands were resting on the sheets.

“I hope you wake up buddy” he said into the silence. “Because I owe you my son. And I really want to thank you for that. Finn…what you did for me…getting Archer, protecting Archer…it can never be repaid. So please wake up so I can at least try.”

He thought about kissing Finn there and then but stopped himself just in time. For all he knew Finn and Rey might have something going on, Finn might want someone else other than a mid-thirties fighter pilot who was going grey around the edges and had two children and a father to contend with.

With that sobering thought he left the room.

He didn’t realise that Finn’s eyes were half open. And he had heard every word.

Of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy, Feedback is adored.


	9. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn wakes up properly and does something (potentially stupid), Poe is in love, the Dameron children are happy to be a family once more. 
> 
> Kes really thinks he is getting to old for this and the First Order DO NOT crash this party. 
> 
> Final Chapter of this fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so here is the FINAL CHAPTER! I am so glad I can get this fic finished before new years and therefore with this chapter i wish you all a very happy 2020. 
> 
> Usual rules to this story apply. Disclaimer-Archer and Kalani have been mine and mine alone. As has the assumption that Luke and Wedge have spent their lives pining after the other.
> 
> I want to say a massive thank you to all of you who have stayed with this story and i hope to return to this wonderful fandom again and this stunning pairing that lived on in secret throughout the whole of the three movies that i went to see. 
> 
> Enjoy.

When Finn opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Archer Dameron leaning over him with an expression of deep concern on his face. 

Finn did not mean to jump upwards but he thought that his reaction was a lot better than what it could have been. You pulled that shit in the First Order you got shot. Part of the survival course. Anyway as he sat up and was rewarded with a migraine so blindingly painful he had to lie down again with a whimper he thought he heard a wonderfully familiar voice say, “Arch what did I say about startling him?” 

“But he’s awake” Archer protested and Finn nodded because he was very much awake and very much in pain, though he found he could shift about on the bed and move his toes so that had to be a good thing, right? 

“Yeah I can see that buddy, go get your sister and give us a minute ok.” 

Archer muttered something in his language taken from Yavin and though Finn couldn’t understand him he heard Poe snort even as he rebuked his son for the use of such language. Next second Poe was back his smile creasing around his eyes and his hair so utterly perfect—seriously how did the man do it? 

“Easy buddy, easy there, your very lucky, one more blow and you’d been in a very different state right now. They repaired most of the damage to your back, I mean most of it…you’ll have one hell of a scar but I wouldn’t worry about that either. I personally happen to find scars sexy but—” he stopped talking quickly and Finn watched confused and yet utterly fascinated by the pink that had flooded into Poe’s cheeks. 

Force he was the most attractive man alive. 

“Sexy huh?” 

_ Oh fabulous Finn _ he said in his head. _That’s the best you can do?_

He forced himself to cough a little. Poe had just gotten a look in his eye that made colour come to Finn’s cheeks though he had thought that most of the blood in his body was still somewhere on Starkiller base. 

Which reminded him. 

“Did we do it? Where’s Rey?” 

Poe’s face fell a little but he recovered himself quickly, so quickly in fact that if you were not looking for it then you might have missed the display of emotion. Finn however caught it. 

“Everyone is fine, we did it, we took down the base and the weapon. Mostly that was down to you but we did it. Rey left, she left to go and find Luke Skywalker, the rest of us are just waiting on orders, we’ll have to evacuation, they know where we are now but we’ve got time. And…and Finn I don’t know how to thank you” he said in a rush his words tripping over each other in their haste to come out. 

“Archer told me that you stepped in front of him and fought Ren so that he could get out, he told me that you didn’t stop until he was safe even before he arrived. So I wanted to say thank you. It’s not enough, really it’s not but…”

“It’s fine Poe” Finn said sure he was about to cry any second. He had no idea how to respond to this—the only world he had ever grown up in had involved pain upon pain and here was despite what he had been being treated with kindness. 

“No it’s not buddy I don’t…he’s my baby Finn, thank you” 

Finn wanted to say something in response to that but he found that he didn’t have the words to do that. He shut his eyes and then opened them again forcing himself not to cry. Instead he decided to be brave. 

He tucked one hand over Poe’s and interlaced their fingers together leaning back against the pillows that had been propped up for him. He could feel the exhaustion pulling at him and he forced his eyes open. He wanted nothing more to do than to sleep but he felt like he was on the edge of something here, something he had wanted since he had pulled his helmet off, and something that he had thought he never could have. 

“Is everything ok?” he asked Poe finally, noticing the man’s eyes drift down to their interlocked hands. Poe’s mouth seemed to work for a minute and then when he looked up there was a steal of some kind in his eyes that told Finn that Poe had thought about something and had come to the conclusion that regardless of weather or not it could go wrong or not, it had to be done. 

There was another long pause and then Poe muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘Fuck it’ and then before Finn could ask just what in the name of bantha-shit that was about, Poe had surged forwards pulled him forwards and sealed their lips together in the most mind blowing kiss that Finn had ever lived through. 

To be fair this was his first kiss so that might not be an accurate description, but he did know that the way he was feeling was purely the way he felt about Poe. Nobody else came even remotely close. 

For a second they remained close even after the kiss ended. Finn silently cursed his lungs for needing something as fickle and as stupid as air. Honestly why did he need air when the alternative was kissing Poe Dameron for the rest of his life? 

“Does it not bother you” he said finally into the silence. “That I’m an ex-stoormtrooper, and…and I’ve never done any of this before?” 

Poe stared at him for a second. “No” he said and there was something about the firmness of his voice that made Finn start forwards and link both their hands together so despite the pain in his lower back at the move, they were linked together.

“If it doesn’t bother you that I am a pilot in his thirties who could die at any minute with two kids” he added dryly. 

Finn grinned thinking of Archer’s brown eyes and the way Kalani smiled when she had seen her father, he thought of the way Poe’s jacket had been so big on his son and how the boy had managed to keep his head high and keep plodding on despite the fact that he was exhausted, he thought in that moment about Poe’s daughter who had looked at him without suspicion and distrust but rather with a child’s curiosity, and then he thought of Poe’s father who had hugged him and said that he was to call him Kes and that he was grateful that Finn had rescued his son. 

He had never had that time of easy love or affection that had existed in the Dameron. He thought that it would be something incredible to try. 

“No” he said running his bruised and battered knuckles down the line of Poe’s jaw. “No it doesn’t” 

Poe kissed him again. 

Actually they kept kissing for a very long time. 

Neither one of them noticed the two beaming children and the man at the window who was rolling his eyes heavenwards as if to ask someone up there just what in the name of all that was good and holy had he done to deserve this? 

Kalani dropped down from the window sill and prodded Archer in the ribs so that he dropped down too from where he was watching. Their grandfather had wandered off to go and see the med-droid to get a medical update and then to knock on the door to see if they could go into the room. 

“This doesn’t change anything does it?” she asked Archer quietly. 

Her brother tilted his head to the side and then considered what she was asking, and indeed Kalani was asking quite a bit—she wanted to know that her Papa was still going to be there, that when this war was over their home with the tree in the backyard would still be there, that they would win now that they had Luke Skywalker coming back, that because their father was now with Finn it didn’t change how he felt about them. 

Kalani was only five after all. 

That was a lot of questions for a five year old to ask out loud. 

Archer nodded finally slinging an arm around her shoulders. “This doesn’t change anything” he said finally. “Papa loves us just as much as I think he loves Finn, and you’ll like Finn, Kal, when you get to know him, he’s a good man. I’ve only known him a few hours before he stood in front of me and fought the man in the mask and even I know that” 

“Archer” Kalani said finally into the silence. “I am really glad that you are back…I didn’t want to leave you” 

“I know” Archer said finally. “And I don’t want to talk about what I’ve seen or what’s happened but I am really glad that you actually listened to me for once. I couldn’t have done half of it if I had been worried about you” 

He tried to act like nothing was happening. 

Kalani knew that he was lying. 

She knew. 

“Love you too brother” she said into the silence. 

Archer wrapped an arm around her, he didn’t say anything. 

He didn’t need to. 

“So he’s coming back then?” Kes asked Leia as they watched the crowds gather at the main landing rack of the base. They had received word that the Millennium Falcon was entering the hyperspace and Leia had assured them that she must have good news. Kes privately agreed. He was surprised and more than a little amused to see that despite promising he would never take part in a rebellion ever again Wedge was also there. But then again, when she had pointed it out to him he had not seen it then either. Shara had called him an idiot but now he could. 

Luke. 

Wedge and Luke. Han and Leia. Kes and Shara. Poe and Finn. 

Huh. 

Kes supposed she was right about that too. 

“He’s coming home” Leia said the skin on her knuckles white as she clutched them together. Kes was once again struck by how old she looked. The spark was still there but it was dimming and he wondered how she was hiding her hurt at the loss of the love of her life, the man who had driven her crazy from the first moment she had met him and who had in his own way loved her so passionately he would have burned down the galaxy for her. 

Kes reached out to touch her. He knew some of what it was like to bury your feelings and pretend that your heart wasn’t breaking. After Shara…if he had not had Poe then he would have probably never gotten out of bed. 

Speaking of his son he turned and saw Poe, Finn was standing next to him his whole body leaning either against Poe or on a crutch. He thought personally that the boy shouldn’t have gotten out of bed but he had to admire his backbone—no pun intended. Archer was at Poe’s side and he had Kalani on his hip. They looked like a young family, there was no sign of the war or of the troubles that were surely to come. They just looked like they were a normal couple with their children.

It had been what Kes had wanted for his son. 

The Falcon landed on the ground. Wedge pushed himself of the wall that he was leaning against. Leia took Kes hand in her own. Kalani gave a little wave. Kes couldn’t take his eyes of his son. 

“It’s a wonderful thing isn’t it?” Leia said turning to him with a smile. 

“What?” Kes asked as a man in robes with greying hair and a young woman got off a ship. 

“Hope” Leia said turning to face her brother. Kes turned back to his son who caught his eyes. Poe had Shara’s eyes he noticed not for the first time. 

He smiled. Poe turned back to his family. 

Yes he thought to himself, hope was a beautiful thing indeed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you liked it, a massive thank you to all of you who kept me going. 
> 
> Feedback is adored. 
> 
> Enjoy. 
> 
> And i hope to see you in the New Year.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is adored.


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